Imperial Child
by Girlbender875
Summary: Massively AU. Anakin Skywalker grew up in the Empire. He's a high ranking Imperial official. Everything seems fine until he runs into his daughter. Ani, Leia, Obi, Luke, Han, Chewie, and others! Please R&R!
1. Names

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Star Wars characters; they all belong to George Lucas. So don't sue!**

* * *

Names; I have plenty of those

Names; I have plenty of those. I am known by over twenty names for different missions, but I am more commonly known by four names. The Emperor's most trusted men know me as Lord Darth Vader, but every other officer and soldier, secretary and grandmaster of the Galactic Empire know me as Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev. My close and good friends know me as Breifin Tron. Then, there's the one name that only one living person knows; Anakin Skywalker.

Yes, my true name is Anakin Skywalker. How I know this is a mystery to me. It's been the name I've heard over and over again in my head, a whisper in reply to my ceaseless question; _who am I?_

Emperor Palpatine raised me, but he always called me Darth Vader. I had many instructors, but they knew me as Lothor Saacronal. I was known by so many different names that by the time I was ten, I had no clue who I really was.

The oldest memory I have was when I was first brought to my new room when I was five years old. According to the Emperor, he freed me from slavery, and then brought me to the Imperial Center to raise me. I was taught by the finest instructors, and the Emperor himself gave me lectures about a mysterious energy called the Force. To him, I am no more than a pawn.

Though Emperor Palpatine tried to make me as cruel a dictator as he, he never succeeded. I'll admit, I can be bitter, and when someone gets on my bad side, they have a very bad day, but it takes a lot to wear my patience thin.

As I grew up, Emperor Palpatine started teaching me the ways of the Sith. I started to grow very dark and nasty like him, but my instructors saved me from that terrible fate.

I had fifteen instructors through my learning years. First, there was Demaera Marr; she was my instructor when I first arrived; she taught me how to read, write, and speak properly, everything. When the Emperor started worming his way into me, it was Demaera who made sure I didn't become a carbon copy of my Master. She also put the rebellious spirit in me, but it didn't flourish until five instructors later. She lasted a year; because she taught me things that contradicted what Emperor Palpatine was teaching me, she disappeared.

The next instructor only lasted a year because I drove him over the edge. I was so upset about Damaera leaving that I barely listened to him. When I was seven, an instructor that was a cousin of Damaera's came to teach me. I didn't listen to her until she told me of her relation to my favorite instructor. She continued to support me in putting up a Sith façade for my Master, and it hasn't failed me since. I have so many façades now that nobody knows what I'm truly like except for my closest friends. Again, she was found out and conveniently vanished.

One of the most memorable instructors I had was Zhaf Saar, a Rebel spy sent to infiltrate the Imperial Palace. He knew his job very well, but once he met me, he started telling me about the Rebel Alliance. We got into a few debates, me being thirteen and of mature age. Two months after he first came, he finally revealed that he was doing espionage for the Rebel Alliance. Stunned, I didn't know what to do, so I just let him keep on instructing me and doing his other unnamed work. About eight months into his entrance, he was discovered and executed. I was really upset, but I made sure no one knew.

It was because of these people that I kept a piece of humanity in me; otherwise I would have lost it and turned into Emperor Palpatine Junior.

Still, even though they all knew me well and I knew them, none of them called me Anakin Skywalker; to them, my name was Lothor Saacronel.

I said earlier that only one living person knew me as Anakin Skywalker, and that one living person was I. Well, eighteen years ago there was another who knew me by that name. Her name was Padmé Amidala. Padmé was a senator from Naboo in the Imperial Senate, and though she was in the danger zone for senators because she didn't lick Palpatine's shoes like the rest of the senate, she was still an amazing woman to me.

It all started on Naboo when there was a Rebel uprising. I was fourteen at the time, old enough to go along and help out (at least in my Master's eyes). I was in a small team of troopers going to the palace in Theed because there were Rebels there who were supposedly holding the queen hostage. Then, I was convinced that was true, but now, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, we arrived and quickly got rid of the Rebels. Padmé was then only my age, but she was the Queen of Naboo. The moment her eyes met mine, I fell in love. She was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy.

After the incident, we didn't see each other until four years later, at the end of her term. She then became senator, becoming the youngest person to ever join the senate, since she was only eighteen. We started to get to know each other and became very close. Eight months later, we married.

Less than a year later, Padmé was pregnant with our first child. We didn't know if it was a boy or girl; we wanted it to be a surprise. I was so excited and happy I could barely hold it in.

Unfortunately, this happiness only lasted for nine months.

Padmé was a rebel in her own right, though if she was actually part of the Rebel Alliance is something I don't know to this day. She loved me because I was different from the other stiff, xenophobic, and cruel Imperials. I didn't rule by fear—I still don't—but I do my duty, something she didn't seem to think about.

About two weeks before the expected birth date, I was sent on a mission to take care of a Wookiee uprising on Kashyyyk. Kashyyyk was just healing from the last time the Imperials stepped in on an uprising, but I had a job to do. I burned about a third of the planet to get those Wookiees to come out and face justice. Padmé heard the news over HoloNet, and when I returned, she was gone.

Officially, she was assassinated by Rebels because of her being in the senate and her connection to me, but unofficially, she vanished, supposedly heartbroken, because I became the very thing she was against.

Nobody knows how it truly happened, but her body was identified after a skirmish between the Rebel Alliance and Imperial forces fought on her homeworld. I have no clue what happened to the baby. Maybe the child is dead, or dying… I don't know.

I don't even know why I'm bothering to do this electronic journal; the information I'm giving here is classified (and private for that matter), so the journal is going to be destroyed after I finish this entry. Maybe it just helps to lighten the burden by talking about it. I feel good enough to get ready for the party already.

Well, that's all. This is my life. My name is Anakin Skywalker, and that's how it's staying.


	2. Fiftieth Anniversary

Anakin Skywalker sighed as he looked at his formal uniform. The Empire was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary tonight, and there was a huge party being thrown in the palace. Well, it was technically a ball, but that didn't mean the men couldn't have their fun.

Anakin picked out a clean uniform and put it on. He looked at himself in the mirror.

"Well, Skywalker," he said to his reflection. "You're not looking too bad."

The thirty-seven-standard-year-old man straightened his white uniform and dusted off the gold decorated shoulders. He grabbed a comb and ran it through his sandy blonde hair, brushing out small curls and sighed once again. Even though he had gotten his hair wet, it still curled upward on the back of his neck.

"Oh well," he set down the comb on his large bed. "It was worth a try."

Anakin walked over to his dresser and grabbed a pair of black gloves. He slipped them on, checked his appearance once more, and then walked out of his room. He stepped into a grey hallway with duracrete walls that caused an echo so annoying that it almost drove him nuts when he first moved into his room.

After listening to the repeated sound of his boots hitting the floor bouncing against the walls for a few minutes, Anakin reached the turbolift. He entered in with a few other Imperials, who all saluted him.

"Grand Admiral, sir," they acknowledged.

The turbolift sped down to the main floor and even before the doors opened, Anakin could hear the music. It had a great swinging rhythm to it, and it almost made Anakin tap his feet right there. Only one style of music did that to him: jazz.

The doors opened and the other Imperials almost bounced up and down in excitement as they waited for Anakin, the superior officer, to lead the way. Anakin felt a smile come to his lips; normally, he'd hide a smile but since this was a party, it was an exception.

They all walked down a long corridor and then entered through a large doorway into a massive high-ceiling room with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls, large chandeliers hanging, and the floor coated in beautiful white tile. Many people were dancing in the middle, and there were tables with refreshments on the sides.

Anakin looked at all the festivities and smiled in contentment. Parties were times when he could forget everything and just live for the moment. Now if only there was a pretty woman to dance with…

* * *

Slow swinging music echoed around the huge room as Princess Leia Organa meandered through the huge crowd of people. As a senator of Alderaan, she had to be at the fancy party to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary for the Galactic Empire.

Although Leia was there because she was a senator, she was also there to gather information for the Rebel Alliance. She had been an active helper to the Alliance for three years now, and she just met Luke Skywalker about seven months ago. That was an interesting day…

_Leia Organa walked briskly through the hallway as she headed to give a holocron over to Admiral Ackbar. She was in a rush because she was due to return to the Imperial Center, and any delays would cause suspicion. Many things were rushing through her head as she turned the corner, but they were all silenced when she ran headfirst into a young Ensign with blonde hair and stunningly blue eyes. _

"_I'm really sorry," she quickly said as they both tried to get up. _

"_That's all right," the Ensign replied hastily. "Where are you headed off to in such a rush?"_

"_I need to get some information to Admiral Ackbar," Leia answered. "Do you know where I can find him?"_

"_Um, I think he's in the command room. There was some kind of situation."_

_Leia blinked at the eighteen-standard-year-old boy. "You're an Ensign, and you don't even know what's going on in the command room?"_

"_Well, it's pretty hush-hush to us lower-ranking officers right now. Who are you, anyway?"_

_Leia sighed. "My name is Princess Leia Organa."_

"_The Princess!" the boy finally managed to stand up and helped her up. "I'm so sorry!"_

"_It's all right." Leia had an odd feeling of déjà vu when she looked at him in the eye. "Who are _you_?"_

"_Ensign Luke Skywalker."_

"_Well, Ensign Skywalker, it was a pleasure to meet you." Leia quickly walked towards the command room after she replied, trying to shake off the odd feeling that she knew him somehow._

Leia smiled. She had gotten to know Luke these past seven months, and they were as close as brother and sister. She also met some friends of his: Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca. They all seemed like a band of misfits; Han and Lando were close friends because of their past dealings with each other as smugglers, Chewie and Han were inseparable, due to Chewbacca's life debt to Solo. Luke met the dynamic duo and Lando when they all got into a situation with the Empire. When they all escaped together, Luke offered them a chance to join the Alliance and they agreed.

_Oh, I certainly hope those men are taking care of themselves_, Leia thought as she gracefully made her way around the room.

Many Imperial officers asked to dance with her and she obliged most of them. Though she always enjoyed a good dance, Leia didn't enjoy having to do it with her enemies. Still, she was a spy, so it had to be done.

About an hour into the party, Leia walked over to get some refreshments and almost ran headfirst (it seemed her lot in life) into a high-ranking officer.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness," the man said with a dignified Coruscanti accent.

Leia also adopted her 'politician voice'. "It is quite all right. I should be the one apologizing. Please forgive me."

Leia made a motion to walk away, but the Imperial continued on. "No, no, the fault is entirely my own. How clumsy of me, honestly, I must at least get you a napkin."

That's when it finally occurred to Leia that some of her juice had sloshed onto her and him both. "Oh, no, well… I suppose."

Coming up with no excuse, Leia had to give in. The man (who she now realized was a Grand Admiral) turned around to face the table, grabbed some napkins, and lightly dabbed it on himself while giving some to her. Leia was thankful that he was tactful enough not to touch her.

"Grand Admiral, sir," Leia acknowledge, bowing her head towards his insignia. The man looked at her.

"Oh, come, come now, Your Highness," he scoffed lightly. Leia nearly dropped her napkins; an _Imperial_ with a sense of humor? "I really don't think we should be worrying about politics just now. It's a party, after all. But, if you don't mind, may I be so bold as to claim the next two dances if you are not previously engaged?"

Leia blinked. "Of course not, Grand Admiral,"

Almost as if on cue, a new piece of music started up. It was a traditional dance, one that had been a Coruscanti dance for almost two thousand years. The Grand Admiral put down his and her cups and napkins and offered his arm. Leia took it with hers and they walked out into the dance floor. As she walked with him, an odd sensation crawled through her body, almost as if she knew this man very well. It was almost the same feeling with Luke!

A Conserlista, music of classical origin and style, began to play, and the Grand Admiral took Leia's hands and they began to dance.

"I don't believe I got your name," Leia started off. "You obviously know who I am, so I am at a disadvantage."

"I am terribly sorry," the man chuckled. "Goodness, where are my manners tonight? You would think I left them in my quarters because this is a party! I am known as Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev."

Leia racked her memory for the name. Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev was a very influential and powerful man. He led the Imperial strike team to stop an 'uprising' on Kashyyyk over eighteen years ago, and that was one of his biggest offenses; he nearly destroyed a third of the world! Leia suddenly felt a sickening hatred towards this man, only bested by her hatred for Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine… and maybe Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.

Leia hated Darth Vader and his hideous black suit, his awful breathing, and his countless murders. Emperor Palpatine created the Galactic Empire, and thus deserved all the hatred she could muster. Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin was the first high-ranking Imperial Leia really got introduced to, and he had a slave, so she did _not_ like him at all. This man, though… Leia had heard so many awful things about him it made her nauseous that she was dancing with him.

The music went on, and they twirled and danced around the room, the Grand Admiral giving a soft smile. Leia had to resist the urge to spit at him, and it almost broke out of her so violently that the Imperial took notice.

"Princess Leia, are you unwell?"

Leia quickly made sure there were no traces of what she was feeling in her voice. "No, I am quite all right. Thank you."

He didn't seem convinced at first, but after a while, Morlev settled back into leading her around in their dance. Leia suddenly remembered that she had agreed to dance _two_ dances with him; as if one wasn't bad enough!

Although she was dancing with one of the most revolting men in the galaxy, Leia still enjoyed a good conversation while dancing.

"Shall we not have some conversation?" she offered.

"Why, of course," the man replied, ever-so courteous and obliging. "It does seem a lovely night to celebrate the great Empire's existence for fifty years, don't you agree?"

_I just threw up in my mouth_. Leia thought in disgust. "It is a beautiful night, indeed."

"Ah, yes," Morlev smiled and seemed to look past her for a moment before continuing. "Quite a party, though; I have to admit, if I may speak freely, that this is going to drive some of the inhabitants insane."

Leia once again had to resist the urge to spit; he was trying to make humor! Why that dirty, insufferable…

"Grand Admiral Morlev?"

The two of them stopped dancing as a captain quickly made his way over to them.

"What is it, Captain?" Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev asked crisply.

"Sir, there is a high priority message for you," the captain replied. "In the security room,"

"Of course," Morlev looked back over at Leia. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but duty calls."

Leia nodded her head in acknowledgement, glad to be rid of him, and he quickly strode off. A sigh of relief escaped her; at least she could return her focus to spying instead of spitting.


	3. Rebel Sympathizer

Anakin walked out of the security room in a huff. Irritation rattled his brain, as if it were the duracrete-walled hallway that echoed so much. As he walked through the ornate hallways of the palace, a low growl escaped his throat.

The Rebels had captured an Imperial outpost on Rhen Var. Normally something as insignificant as this wouldn't bother him, but with a top secret project being built nearby, and a precious metal being drilled from the ice caves, this was a serious problem and a serious nuisance.

Anakin had always felt a little sympathetic towards the Rebellion due to the fact that one of his instructors was a Rebel spy before he was executed. Since the Empire raised Anakin, and the Emperor himself provided for him, Anakin's loyalty would always be to the Galactic Empire. Still, Anakin didn't really mind the Rebel Alliance too much. At times he found them amusing.

Anakin understood that the Rebel Alliance didn't consist of a bunch of fools as other Imperials thought, nor did it consist of barbaric traitors to civilized society. No, in his opinion, it merely consisted of men and women, Human or not, who simply believed what they were doing was right and for a good cause, so they were willing to die for it. Anakin could respect that, because he was willing to die for the Empire.

So Rebels were never much of a problem or source of great irritation to him until now. Now, it was starting to escalate.

When Anakin found out about Padmé's body being found in the middle of the area where the skirmish took place, he had automatically assumed that she joined the Rebel Alliance. In hatred and revenge, something he was taught to relish and use, Anakin had led a fleet to wipe out as many Rebel outposts, insurrectionists, and/or armies he could find. For three years he led an unceasing hunt for the Rebel base with no luck, but he took out so many Rebel bases and sympathizers on the way that his failing was overlooked.

After that long search, Anakin and his fleet returned to the Imperial Center. Exhausted, they all took shore leave for a nice long month. After that, Anakin was reassigned to stay in the Imperial Palace, and there he had stayed for the past fifteen years, only going when it was urgent.

Well, _this_ certainly counted as urgent. He would have to report to his Master about this.

Anakin scowled. He was not happy.

_And tonight was going so wonderfully, too,_ he grumbled in his head. _Poor Princess Leia; I practically abandoned her out on the dance floor._

Anakin walked by the large doors that led to the room where the ball was taking place. Pausing, he peeked in and looked for the Alderaanian senator. He saw her standing off on the side talking to a rosy-cheeked, very tipsy-looking lieutenant.

"Uh-oh," he muttered. "Princess, I hope you know what you're doing. That guy is dead drunk."

Anakin was about to turn to leave when the Force told him to stay. A thought occurred to him. Princess Leia Organa… where had he heard that name before, _besides_ the obvious Imperial Senate?

Ah, yes. She was a Rebel sympathizer.

"A Rebel sympathizer…" Anakin whispered aloud. "A Rebel sympathizer…"

A recent bill was passed to increase funding on an unnamed project in the senate, which was the drilling in the ice caves… could she have told the Alliance about it? Was _she_ the reason Anakin's night had to be ruined?

If she was… no, he couldn't assume anything. He had to find out.

Anakin walked back into the large room and casually walked to the table where Leia and the Imperial were talking. He stood about three meters away and used the Force to increase his hearing. He focused in on Leia and the young officer.

"Well, certainly, Princess," he was saying. "I mean, I've just got a mission to Rhen Var I need to do, but…"

The Imperial paused, trying to look horrified but doing a pathetic job in his drunken state. "Oh, whoops; I wasn't supposed to say that! There's something really important on Rhen Var!"

Leia looked mildly surprised. "Should you be talking to me about this?"

"Well, I suppose not, but it's only drilling anyway…"

The man would have continued if it were not for Anakin using the Force to him to knock him out. To the rest of the crowd, he just passed out from too many alcoholic beverages. Leia jumped.

Anakin took the opportunity to walk over. "What happened here?"

"Well," Leia looked down at the man, completely unaware that it was Anakin. "He was starting to get a little off, but I didn't expect him to pass out…"

Suddenly, the room went silent. _Looks like Master and 'Darth Vader' are here,_ Anakin thought dryly.

Over on the other side of the room, Emperor Palpatine walked down a pair of stairs with alumabronze statues flanking the doors. The towering form that everyone in the galaxy knew as Darth Vader walked behind him. Anakin hid a smile; everyone was afraid of "Darth Vader" and they didn't even realize that good old Grand Admiral Morlev was ten times stronger than him.

Anakin didn't know the man's true name; only his Master did. Instead, he just knew him as Ceddge; he never used that name in public; if someone overheard, it would be interesting trying to explain why he didn't address him as Darth Vader. That didn't matter, though. Anakin knew the man used to be a Jedi Knight in the days of the Old Republic, and Force that was _ages_ ago! Fifty years now… and the Force only knew how old he was. Anakin did know that he was stronger than that man; the only reason why he went parading around as Darth Vader was because he was… well, to speak plainly far more intimidating. Anakin's glare could make the bravest man melt, but it took a lot to get him _that_ irritated. The man who pretended to be Darth Vader, on the other hand, would make any respectable man wet himself. Also, he was expendable; Anakin wasn't.

_Well, at least I don't have to worry about doing the little dirty work he has to do…_ Anakin sighed mentally. Although many of the things the man did were boring, some of it was just adventurous. Chasing Rebels across the galaxy… at least he got to _travel_ the galaxy!

Through the Force, Anakin felt Leia tense. Who wouldn't? The Emperor and "Darth Vader" were not to be messed with… but did she tense for another reason? Was there some sort of deception going on here?

All the Imperials stood at attention and saluted the two. Anakin followed suit. The rest of the guests stood with their heads slightly bowed respectfully. Leia was hesitant before she bowed her head. Anakin took note of it.

Slowly, the music crept back to life and the party resumed. The Emperor was talking to some politicians, and "Darth Vader" was brooding in a corner. Anakin thought he'd better cheer him up, but then he remembered Leia. Should he stay with her or go to his fellow Sith?

_Oh, forget the Princess_, he finally decided. _It's a party. Relax and forget about the Rebels for a moment._ Then, Anakin remembered why he came back in the first place. He had to stay with Leia.

Barely suppressing an exasperated sigh, Anakin started a conversation with the Alderaanian senator. "I hope you'll forgive me for leaving you there like that."

Startled, Leia looked over and recognition gleamed in her eyes, along with something else. It was only there for a moment, but Anakin's sharp eyes quickly caught it. Was that disgust? Hatred? Oh, he really needed to keep an eye on her…

"That's quite all right, Grand Admiral," she replied in a dignified tone.

Their conversation took a boring turn as they both discussed things in the senate. Anakin nearly passed out beside the Imperial he had just knocked out minutes earlier. He _hated_ politics.

Leia somehow managed to pry herself free of him and excused herself. Anakin blinked a moment and then realized what happened. _Oh, she's good._ _Well, at least I can talk to my brooding friend over there._

Anakin made his way over towards Ceddge and fought down a snort of laughter. "Darth Vader" was currently doing his very best to blend in with the scenery.

"Lord Vader," Anakin said to him respectfully. The man gave a slight nod of recognition.

"Grand Admiral Morlev," he replied, his bass voice enough to make one's hair stand up. Anakin had gotten used to the voice, even though it had terrified him when he was a youngling.

"So what is a great warrior like you doing in a politician's party like this?" he asked casually, knowing the constant babble of the crowd would drown out their conversation so there would be no eavesdroppers.

"Pretending to be a plant," came the answer.

"You're the oddest-looking plant I've ever seen in my life," Anakin responded. "Perhaps I should send you over to the lab for studying."

Through the Force, Anakin could practically see the man behind the mask rolling his eyes. "Anything to get me out of here."

"You really don't like parties, do you?"

"I loathe them."

"What's there to hate? The people? The politics? Or, wait…" Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Are you having women problems?"

"Oh, for Force's sake!" Although the man's voice was altered by the mask he wore, exasperation could be clearly identified in his tone.

"What?" he asked innocently. "You're not giving me much to work with here."

"I'm just not the type to… socialize."

"_That's_ for sure."

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

A growl escaped the taller man's voice. "You'll never give in, will you?"

"Vader, I can safely promise you that you will never get more trouble from any living being in the galaxy than from me."

"That's reassuring,"

Anakin leaned against the wall beside him. "Did you hear about Rhen Var?"

"What high-ranking Imperial hasn't?" The other Sith stayed hidden in the shadows.

"Oh, really?" Anakin couldn't help the excitement in his voice. "Master knows?"

"Vader" nodded. "Yes, the Emperor is aware of the situation."

"Oh, how delightful! I thought I was going to have to report to him and then get my night ruined." Anakin adopted Palpatine's voice and gave a grumpy face. "Go to Rhen Var this instant! Eradicate those Rebels!"

An odd sound came from the man in the suit. _Well, I actually made him laugh. I guess I should believe in miracles after all._

"Breifin, you certainly are the most outrageous person I have ever met in my life," he said to Anakin.

* * *

Leia gulped in the fresh air as she stepped outside. She couldn't even _breathe_ in the same room as Palpatine or Vader. She felt like she had just been infected with a disease, and to top it off, _Morlev_ reappeared. At least she got some information from that drunk Imperial before he passed out.

So something top secret _was_ going on near Rhen Var. Leia sure was glad she mentioned the bill to the Council for the Alliance.

Rhen Var at first glance was just an ice ball thrown into the galaxy and had absolutely no purpose, but once one looked deeper into the situation, they would realize the importance of the planet. Even before Leia discovered the information that had just been revealed to her, Rhen Var had an Imperial listening post and orbital sensors that could pick up a fleet from up to five systems away, and there were some important systems nearby that were controlled by the Rebel Alliance.

Now, though…

What else could be on Rhen Var? Obviously they were drilling for some sort of precious mineral… perhaps it was for a special project? Or was it just a new source of income? Either way, it _had_ to be important if a drunken man barely caught himself because it was so top secret. _Well, barely is an overstatement,_ Leia thought. _He practically gave me a holocube saying 'Top Secret: Do not open'._

Leia closed her eyes and enjoyed the slight breeze the night air brought her. She wondered what the Imperial Center looked like when it was the Old Republic. It was probably far more beautiful than now… Leia shook her head. She shouldn't let her mind wander.

"Princess Leia?"

That voice again. Leia wanted to scream. How many times would she have to deal with that blasted grand admiral?!

Leia turned around. "Ah, Grand Admiral Morlev; I didn't expect to see you out here."

"Well, I noticed you were alone and in need of a partner," he said politely. "I believe we still have one more dance together."

_Whoops_… Leia had completely forgotten about that. _Great, this is just what I need._

A slower tune started up, and the two of them walked out into the dance floor. Grand Admiral Morlev took her right hand in his left and placed it in between them, and then took her left hand in his right and held it above them. They twirled around with the rest of the dancers. Leia tried to focus on the tune instead of the man she was forced to dance with. What was that tune again? Now she remembered; it was another traditional dance, so an old tune was called for; odd how a party celebrating the Empire played Old Republic music.

The piece was called _Twilight Serenade_. It was a beautiful piece slowly played so that one could enjoy the dance.

Grand Admiral Morlev obviously had done his homework; he knew exactly how to do the dance. After they slowly circled each other for a few turns, he released her right hand and allowed her to twirl into him while still holding his right hand. She then placed her right hand on his shoulder and continued to hold his other. He placed his free hand just below her shoulder, and the two continued to dance. After leading her around a while longer, they both released each other and slowly walked around each other in rhythm. After another swift twirl, they resumed their original position and began to circle. They repeated the same steps for most of the song, and then at the end, he released her for a twirl, and the music stopped.

Leia and the grand admiral looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then he broke the stare. He led her off the dance floor, but she felt like she was in a trance. What had happened? She didn't want to be near him moments ago, but once they really started dancing, something had happened… what in the blazes was wrong with her?

Before she knew it, Leia danced three more dances with him, all slow ones. They had a light conversation over some pastries after that, and then he excused himself. Leia found herself watching him walk off. Something was going _very_ wrong here…

_Whoa, Leia, get a hold of yourself._ She mentally swatted herself. When she danced with him, she seemed so close to him…

What in the blazes was she _thinking_ about? She was _eighteen_!! Was she feeling an attraction to him?

Completely bewildered and panicked, Leia quickly rushed out of the room.

* * *

Anakin shook his head subtly. _What just happened there?_ He _knew_ he sensed something from her… but what? There was some sort of connection between them that much he knew. But what?

The young man walked over to the other side of the room and spotted an old friend of his. The woman was the wife of a commander, but they had become fast friends when they first met at a party similar to the fiftieth anniversary celebration. They had now known each other for seventeen years.

"Commander Jir," he said to her husband.

The commander quickly turned around and saluted him. "Grand Admiral Morlev,"

Commander Jir's wife raised her blonde eyebrows at him. "Grand Admiral Morlev, I didn't expect to see you here."

Anakin's lips curve into a soft smile. "Commander Jir, you wouldn't mind if I kidnapped your wife for a dance, would you?"

"Of course not, sir," the commander replied.

Commander Daine Jir watched Anakin and his wife, Leoni Jir, head off to the dance floor before he resumed talking to a fellow officer.

As another piece started up, Anakin and Leoni enjoyed a lively dance.

"Well, Breifin, I didn't think you'd show up for the party." Leoni said.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Why did you assume I wouldn't be coming?"

"Daine and I were walking around the palace grounds when you stormed by. You didn't look too excited about the anniversary celebrations going on and you were completely oblivious when you nearly ran over Timo."

"I—I almost…" Anakin stuttered.

Leoni smiled. "It's all right, Breifin. Timo doesn't mind."

"I didn't wake up this morning with killing your five-year-old son as an objective…" Anakin mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Leoni reassured. "Like I said, Timo didn't mind. I was more worried about _you_."

"Me?" Anakin was caught off guard.

"You certainly seemed unhappy about _something_."

"Well I had a bad start to the day…" Anakin trailed off.

Leoni just smiled. "Then let's not end the day badly."

Anakin returned the smile, and the two of them finished the dance. Leoni and Anakin walked back over to Commander Jir.

"You have an amazing wife, Commander," Anakin said as they walked up.

Commander Jir gave a smile with a twinkle in his eye. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Permission granted, Commander."

"Get your hands off my girl."

All three of them laughed and Leoni walked back over to her husband. Their two children, five-standard-year-old Timo and eight-standard-year-old Zula were drinking juice beside their father.

"Hey there, guys," he said to them, and they both giggled.

"Hi," Timo replied. Then, Zula poked her brother and gave him a look and then they both said, "Hi Grand Admiral Morlev."

Anakin laughed. "Making them memorize lines for me, Jir?"

Commander Jir adopted an innocent look. "What? I don't know where they get this stuff."

Anakin talked with Commander Jir and Leoni for about half an hour before they had to leave to put their children to bed. What was odd was that Commander Jir had a mischievous twinkle in his eye the whole time.

Shrugging it off, Anakin walked back to the rest of the party to enjoy himself some more.

* * *

**The title of the music, _Twilight Serenade_ is pretty much a play on words to _Moonlight Serenade_ a Big Band piece. So, if anybody gets freaked out over that, let me tell you _Moonlight Serenade_ DOES belong to Big Band; I'm not stealing anything. Please review!  
**


	4. End of the Party

**I'm sorry it took me a while to update! This is a shorter chapter than the others have been, but I had to submit _something_ so here it is! Please R&R!**

* * *

Leoni Jir knew her best friend by two different titles. Her husband and children only knew him by the name of Grand Admiral Morlev, but she knew that was just a title for the Imperials, and his name was Breifin Tron.

Over the seventeen years that she knew him, Leoni learned quite a bit about Breifin, but one thing she never saw in him after his wife's death was interest in a woman that extended past friendship; but she saw just that when he was dancing with the Alderaanian princess. Leoni didn't know what kind of interest he had in her, but—as his friend—she was going to make the most of it.

"Daine," she said to her husband.

"Hm?" he replied absentmindedly, keeping his eyes on Timo and Zula, who were skipping just ahead of them.

"After we drop the children off, there's something I need you to do."

Daine stopped walking and looked at her. "Um, Leoni, should we really be discussing this in public?"

Leoni rolled her eyes. "You have just destroyed what little faith I had in males. I didn't mean _that_, laser brains, I meant the grand admiral."

"Morlev?" Daine asked as they resumed their stroll back home. "What about him?"

"I could tell from the look in your eye you saw what I saw. We've got to do something about it."

"Do what? Nothing can be done about that. The only way we'd _ever_ get the Princess from Alderaan to look twice at him would be to kidnap her."

Leoni stopped walking. "Kidnap her?! Daine, you're a genius!"

* * *

Anakin leaned against the wall and watched everyone dancing when a fellow grand admiral walked up to him.

"Lord Vader," he whispered in Anakin's ear.

Anakin immediately stiffened and looked over at the man. The only time they used his Sith title in public was if it was serious.

"What is it?"

"The Emperor wishes to speak with you, my lord."

Anakin held back a sigh. Looks like his night would be ruined after all. "Of course. Thank you."

The grand admiral nodded his head subtly and then walked off as if nothing had happened. As Anakin headed towards his Master, he passed by the man who pretended to be "Darth Vader".

"Any idea what's going on, Ceddge?" he whispered, using the man's name to tell him he was serious.

"What do you mean?" Ceddge asked immediately.

"Master just called for me. Didn't he call you too?"

Ceddge shook his head. "No, I had no idea."

Anakin considered the answer for a moment. If Ceddge didn't know, then it _must_ be serious. Did it have to do with Rhen Var?

Preparing himself for anything, Anakin squared his shoulders and headed over towards the Emperor.

* * *

Princess Leia smiled and talked with some other senators late into the night. By about two in the morning, Leia thought it would be appropriate for her to leave. As she started to leave the ballroom, Grand Admiral Morlev walked by her swiftly in a brooding manner. Curious, Leia followed him out, but stopped once she saw him head towards an area restricted to non-Imperial personnel.

Wondering what that was all about, Leia turned around and walked into the main entranceway and walked down the large entrance stairs.

It was a chilly night in the Imperial Center and the wind whipped around the coat Leia wore over her dress. After taking a cab, Leia arrived at her apartment and collapsed on the couch and sighed. What a night!

She didn't know how she managed it, but she actually managed to get into her nightclothes and fall asleep in bed instead of passing out right on the couch.

* * *

**Okay, here I explained the whole "Darth Vader" issue a little bit more, so I hope it doesn't confuse you even more.  
**


	5. Time to Get to Work

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Koochoo… kung… stoopa… duble maskie…" Anakin muttered every possible curse in Huttese (which, if he actually did say every curse word in Huttese, would take quite a while) as he packed his luggage. It was a little odd; he finally got to go on a mission, which is what he always wanted for the longest time, but he was infuriated by it.

His hunch had been right; Palpatine had wanted to talk to him about Rhen Var. In fact, Anakin was _going_ to Rhen Var! It was ridiculous; Anakin couldn't even relax for one night!

_Well, look on the bright side,_ he told himself. _At least you won't have to deal with any more politics for a while._

That thought was one of the few redeeming qualities.

As Anakin continued to pack, a chime from the door was heard.

"Enter," Anakin said absentmindedly.

The door hissed open and he heard someone step inside, standing at attention in the doorway.

"Lord Vader,"

Anakin restrained a growl that was getting ready to burst out; his patience was wearing thin.

"Yes?"

"The emperor has the 501st available to you, my lord."

Anakin stopped packing. "The 501st? I thought they were on their way to Dantooine."

"They were directed to return to Coruscant yesterday, my lord, and they are now at your service."

"Very well," Anakin replied. "You're excused."

The Imperial—whom Anakin recognized as another grand admiral—bowed his head and backed out of the room. Anakin moaned and collapsed on the bed, Force-summoning his comlink.

Keying in the frequency for his friend, he spoke into the comm, "Ceddge?"

There was an immediate response. "What is it, Lord Vader?"

"Ceddge, it's nothing serious," Anakin replied with a sigh.

"All right, Breifin, what's wrong?"

For some reason, Anakin had an odd feeling through the Force. "Ceddge, this line _is_ secure, isn't it?"

"Always,"

The Force continued to bother him. "I gotta go." Anakin shut off the comlink immediately and hopped off his bed. What was _that_? Why had he sensed that?

Hesitantly, Anakin activated the comlink once again. "Morlev to security,"

"What is it, Grand Admiral, sir?" came the crisp reply.

"I want a full report on any glitches or situations of _any_ sort for the past two hours by the time I reach the security station."

"It will be ready, sir. Security out."

Frustration boiled Anakin's blood. For some reason, he was suddenly in a very bad mood. He threw the comlink across the room and wanted to tear his hair out. This was infuriating! He had to leave for Rhen Var in two hours when he didn't even want to go and now this blasted feeling like something was different or wrong decides to show up! What in the blazes was going on here?!

From the other side of the room, the comlink beeped. Anakin was very tempted to step on the small contraption, but decided against it. Picking it up, he took a deep breath to get a hold of himself before answering.

"What is it?" he said calmly, even though his voice was trembling.

"Breifin? Are you all right?"

"Ceddge? What are you doing?"

"Well, you certainly seemed upset about something. Besides, why did you cut me off earlier?"

"I sensed something wrong."

"What did you sense?"

"Kriffing heck, I don't know!" Anakin yelled before he could control himself.

Ceddge's breathing was heard for a minute that seemed like an eternity. "What was it that Master told you?"

"He wants me to go to Rhen Var to eradicate the Rebels," Anakin growled.

"That would explain it."

"Explain what?" Anakin snapped. "Explain why I'm angry?! Maybe you explain to me what in the blazes is going on!"

"Relax, Breifin," Ceddge's voice said. "I just know how much you actually wanted to relax tonight."

Anakin sighed. Ceddge was right; Anakin _had_ wanted to just relax. "Yeah, well, that's not possible now, is it?"

"Just take it in stride," Ceddge responded. "That's the best advice I can give you. Just take your anger out on the Rebels."

Anakin smiled in a sadistic manner. "Oh, don't worry about that; I _will_."

* * *

Leoni and Daine laughed as they looked through Imperial records.

"I told you they got your mug shot!" Leoni nearly fell off her chair from laughter.

"That's my publicity holo!" Daine replied indignantly through his giggles.

"Oh, goodness, is that the _Emperor's _holo?!" Leoni burst out.

Daine examined. "I certainly hope not; it's scarier than the real person!"

"Let's find Vader's!" Leoni said.

Daine quickly accessed it through his terminal and, for some odd reason—although the four rounds of Huttese ale might have had something to do with it—they both found it hilarious.

"Look at his face!" Leoni roared.

Daine blinked stupidly. "Leoni, he doesn't have a face."

Leoni gasped. "He doesn't?"

"No. It's just that mask thing."

Husband and wife looked at each other and then suddenly burst out laughing hysterically once more. Daine poured out a fifth round of the ale and they held up their glasses.

"To Darth Vader," Daine said drunkenly. "The faceless, big, burly… thing,"

After laughing once more, the pair downed their drinks in a single gulp and returned to looking at the Imperial records. Leoni pointed to the screen and selected another name.

"There," she hiccupped and then continued, "Organa,"

"That's not my name," Daine replied.

"No, stupid, I'm looking up Leia Organa!"

"That's _Bail_ Organa!"

"Oh,"

Leoni stroked the screen and selected Princess Leia Organa. Her holo file appeared and the pair examined it.

"I don't see 'nything," Daine slurred. "Wannanotha drink?"

"Sure,"

As Leoni examined the file, Daine once again poured out their drinks, this time spilling half of the contents all over the counter.

"Whoops," he mumbled. "Another toast?"

Leoni nodded and grabbed her glass. "To whatever good is in the galaxy. May it help us get enough sense to find something incriminating against the Princess so that she'll get stuck with Breifin."

"Who's Breifin?" Daine asked.

"Uh, I mean Morlev," Leoni quickly corrected herself. Thankfully, her husband was too drunk to care. They clinked their glasses and before they could even return their attention to the screen, they both passed out.

* * *

Anakin sighed heavily as he swiftly marched onto the platform that held the Star Destroyer that was to be his flagship. Commander Cody of the 501st saluted him.

"Grand Admiral, sir," he said.

"At ease, Commander," Anakin replied absently. "Prepare the fleet for take-off."

"At once, sir," the commander rushed off as Anakin boarded the Star Destroyer. Even though he didn't like leaving at four in the morning, he did find great pleasure in being on board the bridge of a Star Destroyer once again. Memories of the hunt for the Rebel base appeared in his mind.

After they left orbit, Anakin signaled the commander. "Prepare the fleet for the jump to hyperspace."

The commander talked into a comlink and an alarm signaling the jump went off. The bridge regarded Anakin as he stood in the middle.

Anakin lifted his hand and motioned forward. "Engage,"

The Star Destroyer entered into the vortex-looking world of hyperspace and Anakin sighed once again. "Commander,"

The commander was immediately at his side. "Sir,"

"I am going to my quarters. Do not intrude unless we have reached Rhen Var or there is an emergency."

"Of course, sir,"

Anakin turned around and exited the bridge. He walked down a long hallway with windows to his right and doors to his left. The dim lighting suited Anakin's current mood. He needed to meditate.

Once he finally reached his quarters, he opened the door and sat down in the middle of the room, using the Force to dim the lights even further until he was almost in complete darkness.

Anakin brought his thoughts inward and thought about himself. He was going to shred those Rebels once he arrived on Rhen Var. Anakin smiled as he thought once more about his hunt for the Rebel base…

_Nineteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker walked to the prisoner deck where a Rebel spy was being held. Behind him flanked two stormtroopers and an interrogation droid. Anakin's mind was on the Rebel. He had been left in there for two weeks now with barely enough water and absolutely no food. Whenever he tried to sleep, alarm bells would go off and red lights would flash. Whenever he was awake, the room was completely dark. Hopefully it hadn't driven him too crazy; Anakin wanted to torture him until he begged for mercy._

_The door to the cell opened and the lights in the cell came on. Huddled in the corner was the Rebel spy, dark circles under his eyes and a pale terrified look on his face. Anakin shook his head. This one was pathetic. _

_Walking towards the Rebel, Anakin made his presence known. The Rebel looked over and seemed to cower even further into his corner. _

"_Now, we shall discuss the location of your Rebel base," he said coldly. Even the stormtroopers seemed to take a step back. _

_The spy looked like he had gained some of his composure back, but when Anakin's eyes narrowed at him and the interrogation droid hovered towards him, the composure collapsed as quickly as it had appeared and the man screamed, holding his hands out in front of him._

"_Leave us," Anakin said to the stormtroopers without looking at them. They marched as quickly as they dared and the door hissed shut behind them. _

_The moment the door closed, Anakin went into the dark side and used the Force to pick the man up by his throat. Choking, the man struggled helplessly against the invisible grip as Anakin smiled. _

"_Now, tell me, where is the Rebel base?" he demanded._

"_I… I don't know w-what you're… what you're talking about…" the man choked._

_Anakin increased his grip and then threw the man against the wall. Signaling with his hand, the interrogation droid selected an especially potent injection and slid the needle into the panicking man's neck. After the needle receded and the droid floated back, Anakin smacked the man so hard with the back of his hand that he went flying against the wall once again. Blood trickled down his lip._

_Anakin used the Force to summon the man towards him. "You _will_ tell me,"_

_For some reason, the man still wouldn't talk even though he was clearly terrified. Getting impatient, Anakin grabbed the man's hand and placed it on the floor. Then, focusing into the Force, he willed gravity to increase tenfold on it. The man's screams echoed as his hand slowly was crushed. A load crack was heard as every bone in his hand was shattered. _

"_Still want to be silent, Rebel?" Anakin growled. "Tell me!"_

_Anakin dragged him to a standing position, his hand now completely flattened. "Tell me."_

"_Kiss my asteroid," the man said breathlessly. _

_Anger coursed through Anakin's body. This man was getting even more stubborn! "Very well, Rebel. If you want to do it this way, then you give me no choice."_

_Anakin had no intention of giving him a quick death. It took at least twenty minutes because he made sure that he crushed every bone in the man's body, his skull last. After the screaming finally stopped echoing, Anakin stepped out of the room before the puddle of blood soiled his boots. He regarded the stormtroopers flanking the door and motioned inside._

"_Clean that mess up."_

_His blood boiled as the stormtroopers made their way into the cell, trying not to step in anything. He would find the Rebel base…_

Anakin's eyes opened temporarily as he remembered what it felt like to have the dark side coursing through him in such a way. It felt… invigorating. He would be just as merciless as he was then now; those Rebels didn't stand a chance… and he _would_ find out how they ended up near Rhen Var.

He closed his eyes once again and went back down memory lane, this time looking for a happy memory that didn't have to do with the Rebels…

_Darth Sion and Anakin sat in Sion's bedroom alone. It was pretty gloomy looking to the eleven-year-old Anakin, but he supposed that was just the other one's tastes. Right now they were having a serious talk, not a friendly chat._

"_Darth Vader, I have always looked at you as a little brother or a younger cousin, but this has to stop." Darth Sion said._

_Anakin swallowed. "I know. We're Sith. We're not supposed to be affectionate to each other. Darth Sion, I don't want to lose contact with you; you're nice!"_

_Darth Sion sighed. "I don't either, but we can't view each other as brothers or relatives. We just need to be friends. Okay?"_

_Anakin nodded. "Okay. Well, why don't we use friendly names then?"_

"_Friendly names?"_

"_Yeah, like mine is Breifin."_

"_That's your real name?"_

"_Maybe; don't tell me you were born with the name Darth Sion."_

"_No, I wasn't. My name is Ceddge."_

"_Is that _your_ real name?"_

_Ceddge shrugged. "Maybe,"_

_Anakin smiled. "Okay, Ceddge."_

_Even though Anakin couldn't see through the mask, he sensed the other man smile as well. "Okay, Breifin."_

_Two days later, Anakin walked through the ornate halls of the Imperial Palace looking for Ceddge. As he turned the corner, he saw Ceddge talking to some Imperial officers, so he hid behind a nearby plant. About ten minutes later, Ceddge finally finished talking and Anakin made his way over to him, hiding something behind his back._

"_Greetings, Ceddge," he said cheerfully. Through the Force, he could sense Ceddge raising an eyebrow. "I just wanted to give you something. You know, to remind you of our friendship? It's nothing too fancy, so it's not like somebody will notice."_

"_All right, what is it?" Ceddge asked._

_Anakin held out a white cloth wrapped around something in his hand. "Take it,"_

_Ceddge picked up the tiny bundle from Anakin and unwrapped it. A plain silver ring slid out onto his palm. Obviously no one else had ever even given him anything, for he was speechless for five consecutive minutes. Anakin waited, holding his breath. _

"_It's… amazing… t-thank you, Breifin," Ceddge finally stuttered._

_Anakin smiled. "I'm glad you like it."_

_Then, all those years later, Ceddge had finally been able to return the favor…_

Anakin broke out of his meditation as his door slid open. "I said—"

A series of beeps and chirps cut him off. Anakin turned to face the gift that Ceddge had given him: an astromech droid named R2-D2. Ceddge had given it to him from the Royal Engineers of Naboo after he returned from his three-year hunt.

"Hey, Artoo," he said affectionately.

Artoo's reply was as close to a concerned tone as a droid could get.

Anakin sighed. "Nothing's wrong, Artoo; at least nothing you can help with."

Artoo gave a helpless 'ferwoop', causing Anakin to giggle. "It's all right, Artoo."

The little astromech droid whirled off into the corner and watched Anakin as he meditated some more. About three hours later, Anakin's comlink chimed.

Far more composed, Anakin calmly picked up the comlink and activated it. "Yes?"

"Grand Admiral, sir, we are approaching Rhen Var. We will be exiting hyperspace in approximately two minutes."

Anakin nodded. "Very well. I will be on the bridge shortly."

"Yes, sir,"

Anakin deactivated the comlink and left his quarters with R2 on his heels. When he arrived on the bridge, hyperspace was just fading away. Rhen Var came into view as it quickly rushed toward the Star Destroyer, which was the usual sight when one comes out of hyperspace. A single Rebel flagship orbited the planet. Anakin's fists clenched. He felt his hatred rise, and he let it flow throughout his body, like blood in his veins. He could almost see himself slaughtering the Rebels already. One side of his lip curved up in a smile.

Time to get to work.

* * *

**Please please review! **


	6. Rhen Var

**Here's the next chapter! And I updated nice and quickly! :) If you all haven't died from a heart attack, then please read and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

Leoni Jir woke up with a massive headache. Everything was spinning, and the floor was extremely hard and cold this morning. Beside her, Daine gave a moan and stirred.

"Leoni?" he said.

"Hm?" was all she could get out in reply.

"Don't ever, _ever_ do that again,"

Leoni laughed, which was a bad idea because her head suddenly throbbed horribly. "Ouch,"

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Daine and Leoni both jumped into a sitting position (which caused another wave of nausea to come over them) to see Timo and Zula standing in the doorway.

"What are you two doing up?" Leoni asked, holding her head.

"Mommy, it's time for school." Timo replied.

Daine moaned. "That means I'm late for work."

Leoni looked over at him. "You can't go to work in this state!"

Getting defensive, Daine looked over at his wife. "Well, you certainly can't drive the younglings to school in _your_ state!"

Completely baffled, Zula and Timo exchanged uncertain glances. Leoni took notice and held up her hands consolingly. "I'm sorry, dears, but you're going to have to skip school today. There's no way we can get you there."

After this statement, Zula and Timo gave a victorious "yippee!" and bounced out of the room.

Daine rolled his eyes. "Honestly, what happened last night? I only remember coming home from the party and then we did something…"

Daine trailed off, not knowing what came next. Leoni finished for him. "We got drunk after putting the younglings to bed."

All Diane said was, "Oh,"

A pause, and then, "Why were we drinking in the first place?"

Although what happened was still hazy, Leoni _did_ remember that she was the one who started the whole thing…

_Leoni and Daine both sat in the den with their children on their laps. Leoni was just finishing telling them a story while Daine (behind Leoni's back) would make faces and characteristics matching the story, causing the children to almost fall off their parents' laps out of laughter. _

_After the story, the parents put their younglings to bed, kissing them and tucking them in. Just as they left the bedroom and the door hissed closed, Leoni faced her husband._

"_Now, about the Princess—" she started off._

_Daine cut her off. "Now wait just a minute. How in the blazes are we going to get the two of them together?"_

"_You already answered that on our walk!" Leoni replied._

"_Kidnapping her?!" Daine hissed._

"_Not literally," Leoni quickly explained. "But another thought did occur to me."_

"_And what would that be?"_

"_Daine, you and I both know that she's been on many mercy missions to planets that have been justly taken care of by the Empire," Leoni went on. "If we could find something about her that might incriminate her, and then you and I could pull some strings for Morlev to interrogate her…"_

"_And how in the blazes is that supposed to get them together?" Daine interjected._

"_Well, he'll see her again, at least," Leoni replied. "If we could just dig up a little dirt, not too much, but enough for her to be questioned. Come on, Daine, do you have any better ideas?"_

"_Plenty,"_

"_Name one,"_

"_Do absolutely positively _nothing_!"_

_Leoni sighed. "How about a drink?"_

"_I beg your pardon?"_

"_I'll pour out a drink for you." She replied evenly._

_Daine raised a suspicious eyebrow, but agreed. "All right. Water."_

_Leoni walked off to the kitchen and poured some water into a glass. Making sure her husband wasn't watching, she took out a bottle of Huttese ale that had been left over from a previous occasion and poured a pinch into the drink. She brought out to him and watched his cheeks flush as he drank._

"_Now, what were we saying?" he looked over at her._

"_We were talking about the Princess," Leoni pressed on._

"_Oh, right," Daine downed the whole glass. "I still say we do nothing. What is there that we can do?"_

"_Here, let me refill that for you," Leoni quickly took the glass before Daine could reply and headed back to the kitchen, repeating the earlier process. After about three times of doing this, Daine was willing to look into her Imperial record._

"_You know," he said as he and Leoni grabbed a console and brought it into the den. "I think I'm in the mood for a drink; pour out a round of Huttese ale for us, will you?"_

_Leoni hesitated, reluctant to start drinking herself, but she headed off to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses with the bottle anyway. She poured out the first round of the ale and then handed one to her husband._

_Daine drank a sip and then put the glass up into the air. "I suggest a toast, my love."_

_Leoni reluctantly raised her glass. "How about for our children?"_

_Daine nodded. "To our children."_

_They clanked their glasses together and then took a gulp of their drink. The room started feeling very warm and comfortable to Leoni. _

"_Well, shall we get started?" she said quickly._

_Daine turned the console on and a hologram appeared, showing a database. Daine typed in the access codes and looked over at his wife. "Who are we looking for again?"_

_Leoni rolled her eyes. "I suggest you drink some more and be quiet."_

"_Quite right," Daine agreed. "How about another toast?"_

"_Another?" she almost moaned. "Oh, very well."_

_About five toasts and a round of ale later, Leoni and Daine both started surfing the records for the sake of it…_

The last thing Leoni remembered was looking up her old Imperial record of when she was a security officer at an outpost in the Outer Rim. Then… she could have sworn she remembered finally looking up information on the Alderaanian princess but she didn't get very far.

Daine interrupted her thoughts when he groaned once again after trying and failing to stand up.

"Love, I suggest that you sit there for a while," Leoni said to him gently.

Daine leaned against the wall and sighed. "I guess we're going to be stuck here for a while."

"At least an hour,"

Daine rolled his eyes in exasperation and called out for Zula.

She came in a minute after the call. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Sweetheart, get me my comlink, will you?" he asked her.

Zula rushed off and returned with the comlink and Daine keyed in the frequency for the Imperial Palace, sighing as he reported that he was indisposed and could not go in for the day. Then, he contacted the younglings' school and said that _they_ were indisposed and could not go in.

After shutting the comlink off, Daine and Leoni both agreed that a nice long nap would take care of the hangover and they both quickly fell asleep.

* * *

It was a hazy day in the Imperial Center as Leia yawned and stretched on her balcony. She wondered if she could get away from the senate long enough to check on how things were going on in the Rebel Alliance. After she had given them the information on Rhen Var, she suspected that they sought to capture it, but she hadn't received any information yet.

Sighing, Leia walked back indoors to her large apartment and picked up a datapad that had been forgotten on the table. On it was her schedule for the day.

As Leia looked over her schedule she already started feeling tired. She was definitely going to be busy today. She put the datapad down and looked outside the balcony once again; weary of the planet-wide city, Leia longed for home: the mountains, lakes, oceans, and most of all, the beautiful capitol city of Aldera. She would even take a Rebel base over this horrible poisoned planet. Perhaps if it were in its full beauty, during the time of the Old Republic, she would find it a pleasant place… maybe.

Leia imagined being back home with her father and mother and lying in one of the sun-drenched lawns of the palace gardens, birds chirping all around her. If only she could be home now…

If only…

* * *

Anakin longed to wield his lightsaber—which, so far, he had only used on training droids, Ceddge, and Palpatine—so he could slice through the Rebel opposition once they landed, but he knew that he couldn't reveal his identity… yet.

The thought of disemboweling Rebels kept his patience as he almost paced like a predator, waiting for the shuttle he was on to land. Originally, everyone expected him to stay aboard the flagship, but he caught them all off guard saying that he was going down to the surface. He had been offered an AT-AT, but he declined.

This he wanted to do by hand.

Anakin held his blast pistol tightly in his hand and faced the troops that were in there with him.

"Now, remember, we're landing directly at the listening post's landing pad. Most of the enemy reinforcements will be concerned with our walkers but there will still be plenty of troops to get through before we reach the listening post itself." He briefed his strike team. They all nodded, and Anakin could sense some of their tension build up a little more.

"And relax," he added. "You guys ought to know that I never leave a man behind."

A small portion of the tension went away and Anakin went into the Force to see if he could sense any potential threats at the landing pad. Through the Force he saw a couple of armed turrets and a garrison of troops. It would certainly be interesting for the pilot to land this thing… Anakin suddenly found himself wishing that _he_ was piloting.

Anakin faced his strike team once again. It consisted of thirty-five brave men and women willing to die for the Empire, and Anakin was going to take good care of them. None of them were clones from the 501st, either; Anakin preferred not to use clone troopers; he wanted beings who could think on their feet in a situation instead of having to rely on orders all the time.

He knew all of the faces in his strike team. He had hand-picked them before they even took off on the Imperial Center; they were all men and women who had served under him during his three-year blood-hunt. Twelve were regular troopers, three were snipers, ten were dark troopers, five were heavy troopers, one was a vanguard, and the other four were officers; colonels to be exact. The four colonels were veterans from the Clone Wars, and Anakin respected their advice greatly. If he were ever to go back into the field permanently, this strike team would definitely become a fearsome group.

"Pofl," Anakin addressed one of the regular troopers, Pofl Shysa. "I want you, Rhan Elysarj, Rannak Tainer, and Leeadra Minetii to flank the doorway. We're going to open the hatch before we land; you're to protect Lara as she takes out any turrets or large targets with her rocket-launcher. Get into position."

The four stormtroopers all loaded their A280 blaster rifles and flanked the door two one each side. Lara Voss, the lone vanguard, popped a few blast shells into her rocket launcher and took a position near the ramp. Anakin keyed in a message to the pilot: OPEN THE HATCH.

"The rest of you," he addressed them. "Prepare to charge out on my signal. Take defensive positions around your surroundings. The ship will take off once again until we call for it at the rendezvous point. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they all shouted in unison.

Anakin looked at two people in his team. "Duena and Pzandor, I want you to stick close to me."

The two snipers nodded, holding their E-11 sniper rifles, and the rest of the strike team stood up in unison as the cold wind of Rhen Var screamed through the opening hatch. Freezing air blasted into the shuttle as Pofl immediately spotted a target and began firing. The other three saw other targets and open fired while Lara took out a turret that began shooting at them. An explosion was heard nearby, and Anakin keyed in another message to the pilot: HOVER AT CURRENT POSITION.

"Stand back," he told his team. He then grabbed a concussion grenade, activated it, and threw it out of the hatch. It landed directly in the center of the bustle of Rebels. Anakin wanted to watch it shred them, but he had to stand back or he would get hit as well. The explosion came and the smoke was blown away quickly by the wind. Anakin told the pilot to hover 1.5 meters above the ground and the strike team began pouring out, Anakin leading the way with Minetii and Shysa behind him. Following them came Colonel Voss who was flanked by Tainer and Elysari, and then Crix Maddocks, holding his chain gun at the ready. Colonel Daye Kobylarz shouldered his rocket launcher as his wife, Colonel Otta, held her blaster rifle at the ready. Vania Aasa, Fyra Nafeel, Zu Tsomcren, Auugu Lefex, and Tanizandar Doim—the heavy troopers with their RT-97C heavy blaster rifles—followed in one group, and behind them were the two main snipers of the team: Duena and Pzandor. Five more—Jope Dala, Stryka Larbec, Beka Camasau, Jephego Bokete, and Maxim Finn—came next, all holding DC-15A blaster rifles. The remaining fifteen took immediate positions behind crates and took out any survivors from the concussion grenade.

"Jope," Anakin gestured the broken turrets. "Fix these up and get them running; we may get some company while we're here."

Jope nodded and rushed over to the turrets, getting his fusion cutter out.

Anakin then turned towards one of the heavy troopers. "Zu, I want explosive charges surrounding this landing pad. Stay here with Otta and make sure that everything stays clear here. If the Rebels capture the pad, blow it."

Zu Tsomcren nodded and went to work while Otta Kobylarz took a position that would give her the best view of any incoming trouble. Anakin motioned for the other fifteen who left smoking holes in Rebels' chests to follow him. He then walked up to the blast doors, which had automatically sealed shut.

Anakin had only seen blueprints and Intel reports on the outpost because he never had visited there (since the Rebels never knew about it in the blasted first place), but he did remember quite vividly that auto turrets were almost in every possible location.

"Be prepared for anything," he told his strike team. "Especially auto turrets,"

Elysari placed a detpack at the door and set it off, blowing a hole large enough for them to crawl through two at a time. Immediately, shots fired through the door. Almost getting shot himself, Anakin quickly pushed the others out of the line of fire and shot four shots into the smoke, using the Force to locate the auto turret. A small explosion was heard and the firing ceased. Anakin motioned forward and they all clambered through. The small entrance room was completely empty besides the smoking hulk of what was left of an auto turret.

The roar of the Imperial walkers could be heard in the distance, as well as TIE fighters flying low through the sky, taking out large targets. Anakin smiled as he sensed the remnants of panic float around the room through the Force; obviously the Rebels didn't expect such a fast retaliation. Of course, this also lead to next problem: quick retaliation meant there was something to hide. Still, nothing could be done about it, so Anakin just worried about getting his job done.

A broken window was to his right, and he stationed Duena Kovani to stay there since it was a blind spot from the landing pad. The sniper positioned herself and started sweeping the area with her sharp eyes. Anakin knew that this area was well-protected with her watching; she was the best sniper in the group.

Anakin led the way through the underground corridor and the place shook from explosions on the open battlefield. He briefly went into the Force to sense how everything was doing with the main force; the Rebel ship that had been orbiting had been obliterated before they even landed, and obviously the AT-ATs and the TIE fighters were doing a good job with ridding this ice ball of Rebels. _I hope they save some for us,_ Anakin thought as they rushed down the corridor.

Ahead, Anakin sensed a small amount of Rebel troopers flanking the door ahead which led directly to the main hallway. Anakin silently motioned for Crix Maddocks, a dark trooper, to load his chain gun and get ready to attack. Crix obeyed and slowly made his way into position so he could see his targets. A few tense moments of silence followed, and then Anakin and then others hid behind crates or other objects before Anakin signaled Crix to open fire. His chain gun took a few seconds to warm up, but when it fired off, it continued firing rapidly until twelve Rebels fell down dead without even knowing where it came from. Anakin then swerved into view and shot the remaining three with his blaster pistol. Four stormtroopers and one heavy trooper ran ahead to make sure the way was clear before the rest followed.

After entering the main hallway, Anakin formed the team up in a defensive position while they ran; the Imperials on the open field were doing their job and doing it well, but there were going to be a lot of Rebels to deal with in the listening post.

Anakin smiled as they rounded the corner and the door that led to the post came into view.

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**Please review!!**


	7. Victory

**Thank you to all who reviewed! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story! Oh, and also, some of you have been asking for Anakin and Leia to get together again: don't worry! They'll see each other soon, but I doubt it'll be in the next few chapters. Still, please read and review and enjoy yourselves; Anakin and Leia will reunite soon!!**

* * *

Anakin Skywalker sighed contently as he and his strike team lounged around the listening post, dead Rebels littering the floor. Two heavy troopers kept watch on the only entrance into the listening post as the rest of them patched up any wounds they received. Three had been shot, but they were only minor injuries. All in all, it was a good day.

Anakin picked up his comlink and dialed in a coded frequency. "Duena?"

"Sir?" came the immediate crisp response.

"How are things from your area?"

"Quiet, sir."

"Duena?"

"Sir?"

"Relax. We've captured the post; just keep a sharp eye out and contact me if anything happens."

Anakin could hear her smile in her voice. "Yes, sir."

Anakin then checked on the troopers he stationed at the landing pad and all was well. Then, making sure no one was paying much attention, Anakin went into the Force and sensed out the battle going on nearby. The Rebels were retreating.

_Too bad,_ he thought. _I would have liked to shoot some of them myself._

Not that he had much to complain about; he just shot down at least fifty Rebels who were stationed at the listening post. The whole place was lit up with blaster bolts flying in all directions; thankfully, not a lot of the equipment had been damaged.

About twenty minutes later, Anakin received a report from all the officers; a complete victory. The Rebels had been exterminated.

Anakin smiled and waited for Imperial technicians to arrive. Once they did, they began to work on the listening post and Anakin got to leave with his strike team.

"See?" he said to them. "What did I tell you? No problem."

"You were right, sir," Crix replied through his helmet.

"Don't you ever forget that either," Anakin said jokingly. "The big Grand Admiral is always right."

"Oh, we won't forget, sir," Colonel Otta laughed.

After rendezvousing with the _Lambda_-class shuttle, the strike team arrived back on the flagship, the _Enforcer_. Anakin stood on the bridge and looked over everything himself, making sure there were no problems. He suspected that the Rebels weren't foolish enough to leave something that they suspected was important with a single battle cruiser and barely enough men to fill a _Imperial I_-class Star Destroyer.

Anakin looked over the damage of the battle. About 200 casualties, one AT-ST lost… that was the main damage. Not too bad, considering Anakin had seen far worse figures. Besides, most of the casualties were injuries, not deaths.

"Sir?"

Anakin turned to face the uncertain call from an Imperial officer looking over a scanner.

"What is it?"

"Well, sir, I think I'm picking something up on the scanners," the officer started off.

Anakin stood, waiting impatiently. "Well, what is it?"

The Imperial stiffened and looked up quickly. "It's a fleet!"

Anakin raised his eyebrows; _this_ was what he was waiting for. "Perfect. Get everyone to their ships; I want those Rebels wiped out… and inform Lieutenant Moor that I'll lead Killer Squadron."

The officer nodded and went to work as an alarm signaling the fleet being under attack blared. Anakin made his way down to the hangars to get into his own personal starfighter.

The Killer Squadron was normally led by Lieutenant Moor since Anakin (who created it) had left the field fifteen years ago, but Anakin wanted to lead it personally once again; after all, it did boast being one of the most elite squadrons in the entire Imperial Navy.

Once he arrived at the hangar, he saw troopers running to their ships and smiled; this was one thing that he would _never_ get tired of: space battles. Anakin hopped into the cockpit of his own personalized TIE Hunter and took off.

"Killer Squadron, this is Grand Admiral Morlev," Anakin said in a clipped Coruscanti accent. "Call in."

"Killer One, standing by," came a female voice.

"Killer Two, standing by," a male voice said.

The rest of the squad called in as Anakin settled more comfortably into his seat. Just as the last person in the squad, Killer 15, called in, the Rebel fleet came into sight. Almost immediately, starfighters poured out of the capitol ships' hangars and began firing at Anakin and the rest of his Imperials.

Anakin led his squad into a furious dogfight as he looped, twisted, and flipped back and forth, shooting every Rebel in his path. At one point, he had six fighters on his tail all at once, but with some quick thinking (and turbolaser fire from their own ships), Anakin quickly lost them… permanently.

Anakin almost whooped with adrenaline-pumped excitement; now _this_ is what made life worthwhile!!

* * *

Leoni Jir sighed heavily as she lounged around in the den flipping channels on HoloNet. Daine was still out with the younglings—even though he said he would be back by now—and she had absolutely nothing to do. It was starting to grow dark outside, but she knew her children were well taken-care of.

Leoni absentmindedly grabbed a console and began looking at her own Imperial record. She had so much fun as a security officer on that remote outpost…

_Twenty-four-standard-year-old Leoni Nexlan jogged over to a security console and sat down beside an old friend of hers as the two looked over records of ships coming and going. Suddenly, a beep came from one of the sensors. Leoni checked it and saw a fleet incoming. _

"_Karnah," she said to her friend. Karnah leaned over and looked at the screen. _

"_Well, we'd better get some information," Karnah replied coolly._

_Pressing a button, Karnah found the correct Imperial frequency and hailed the flagship. "Unidentified fleet, please send in verification codes."_

_Another beep came in and Leoni checked her console. "They sent in the codes; this is a high-ranking fleet!"_

"_Why do you say that?" her friend asked before looking at the codes. _

"_Well, take a look for yourself!" Leoni replied. "Only high-up Imperial officials use these codes."_

_After looking over the code for a moment, a transmission came in. "Outpost 21130, Killer Squadron requesting permission to dock."_

_Karnah mouthed 'Killer Squadron' over to Leoni, and she shrugged in reply. They were never updated on what fleets were called nowadays anyway. _

"_Killer Squadron, this is Outpost 21130. Permission to dock granted. Please proceed to Section Aurek."_

_Leoni informed the commander of the outpost of Killer Squadron's arrival. Judging by the shock in the commander's tone, Leoni figured that this _was_ an important fleet. _

_Turning to her friend, Leoni motioned towards the door. "Come on. Our shift is over; let's go see what's going on with this Killer Squadron."_

_Karnah smiled and the two walked towards Section Aurek as the doorways between the Star Destroyers and the outpost pressurized. The door hissed open with cold air blowing out, and then another door behind it opened to reveal many tired-looking troops and officers doing their very best to keep their composure and not run full-out to the nearest lounge to relax. _

"_Well," a handsome-sounding masculine voice said from somewhere in the crowd. "Go on. I know you want to do it."_

_The Imperials smiled and then rushed off, talking loudly. Karnah and Leoni exchanged confused looks; this certainly was an odd attitude for a high-ranking fleet._

_After the main bulk of the Imperials left, a tall man with a fair complexion and short, slightly wavy hair in a Grand Admiral's uniform stepped into the outpost. Noting his rank, Karnah and Leoni immediately saluted him and stepped out of his way._

"_What have we here?" the man said, looking at the two security officers. "And who might you beautiful women be?"_

_Karnah smiled at the compliment and Leoni blushed; this man was a charmer! "First Lieutenant Leoni Nexlan, sir."_

_Karnah introduced herself and the man bowed his head politely in greeting. "It's a great pleasure to meet you two, let me assure you."_

_The man then sighed tiredly. "It's been a long, hard time for me and my troops. I hope we aren't inconveniencing you all too much, with such a short notice and all…"_

"_Oh, it's no inconvenience at all, sir…" Leoni replied, completely intoxicated with the mere sight of the man. _

"_Forgive me," the man said quickly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev."_

_Leoni looked as if those mere words could make miracles. Karnah hid a smile and continued a conversation with him for a while as Leoni just stood and watched. A few minutes later, Nydo excused himself and left the area. Karnah headed off towards their shared quarters, with Leoni half floating in a dreamy state behind her._

"_Nydo Morlev…" she muttered dreamily. "Oh, what a handsome name… perfect for such a handsome man!"_

"_Yeah, he's a charmer." Karnah replied evenly._

_Leoni rolled her eyes, snapping out of her state. "You'll never get married, I swear it. No man is ever anything more than 'oh, he's okay' or 'yeah, he's a charmer'."_

"_Well, at least I don't fall in love with every cute guy I run into." _

"_I don't!" Leoni said indignantly. "I say they're cute and I imagine being with them, but this is _different_. He's _perfect_, Karnah, I just know he is!"_

"_You don't even know him!"_

"_I don't have to! I love him already!"_

_Karnah sighed dramatically and opened the door to their quarters. "You're hopeless."_

"_Say what you want," Leoni retorted. "But you'll be sorry if you miss our wedding."_

_Karnah laughed as the two women walked into their quarters. "Your wedding? Wouldn't that be a sight to se?"_

_Leoni frowned and crossed her arms with a "Hmph!" and then started imagining what their wedding would be like. Almost as if her imagination was coming to life, she saw Karnah getting dressed in a beautiful white dress with silk sleeves._

"_Are you getting dressed for my wedding?" Leoni asked, her head out in space instead of inside the station._

"_No," Karnah replied. "I'm getting dressed for the party."_

"_Is it the reception? Am I already Leoni Nexlan Morlev?"_

"_No, nerf herder, today's Empire Day, remember?"_

"_Oh," Leoni blinked for a moment and then jumped for joy. "That means I get to dance with Nydo!"_

_Karnah rolled her eyes. "Already on a first name basis, I see. You'd better call him Grand Admiral Morlev when you speak to him."_

"_I will not! He's my fiancé, after all."_

"_Only in _your_ head; _he_ certainly won't see it that way. Just don't act stupid, okay?"_

"_When have I ever done that?"_

_Karnah gave her a hard look. "Don't make me answer _that_."_

_After Leoni dressed herself in an ocean blue dress, the two styled their hair and then headed off to the main lounge, which had been turned into a party room for the occasion. _

"_I wonder if they ever fixed that massive hole in the wall." Leoni thought out loud as they walked. "You know; the one that was from the rocket launcher?"_

_Karnah looked thoughtful. "I don't know. We're still trying to clean up this station ever since that battle with the Rebels."_

"_That freaked me out," Leoni said. "I had never been in actual combat before that."_

"_Well, congratulations, now you have," Karnah sighed. "Even if it was a loss at first,"_

"_Yeah," Leoni crossed her arms. "That was an interesting day. I didn't wake up that morning expecting to be attacked by Rebels."_

"_You forgot the part where the station was captured."_

"_Oh, yeah, that too,"_

"_And then an Imperial force comes and rescues us. I still say that one man had a massive crush on you."_

_Leoni tried to remember his face, but couldn't. "Who was that again?"_

_Karnah laughed. "Poor fellow; you're too in love with Morlev to even concern yourself with him."_

"_Well, what was his name, Karnah?"_

"_I think it was Jir. I don't remember his first name. He was a lieutenant."_

_Now Leoni laughed. "He was kinda cute… but I prefer the mysterious type… those with more class and far more charm and wit."_

"_He's easier to reach, though. This guy's a grand admiral, Leoni. They're not satisfied too easily, you know."_

_Off in the distance, music could be heard coming from behind a door at the end of the hall. The two Imperials walked inside the room to see it decorated; nothing too fancy, but it was enough for them to be satisfied. _

"_Ah, this is the life," Leoni said contently. "Now if only I can find Nydo…"_

"Grand Admiral Morlev_," Karnah stressed._

"_Oh, very well; _Grand Admiral Morlev_,"_

"_Did someone call me?"_

_Leoni and Karnah both jumped and turned to see the grand admiral standing calmly, leaning against the wall with a glass of juice in his hand. It made him look all the more handsome to Leoni. _

"_Uh, hello, sir," Karnah stuttered. "Fancy seeing you again,"_

_Nydo smiled. "Quite a party, isn't it? You'll have to excuse my troops; they've had to wear their strict Imperial façades for some time now, so they're going to be a little wild tonight."_

_Ah! Such eloquence! Leoni was practically worshipping him already._

_Karnah noticed her misty-eyed companion and quickly tried to lead her away. However, just before she could, a new piece of music started up and Nydo extended his hand out._

"_May I be so bold as to ask you for this dance, First Lieutenant Nexlan?" he asked her._

_Leoni nearly fainted. "O-of course,"_

_He took her hand and a tingling sensation spread throughout her whole body as they danced to a romantic theme. Leoni just imagined herself in a wedding gown and him in a groom's robe as they danced during their reception after their wedding. Just one kiss… just one kiss…_

_The dance ended and he led her over to the side, kissing her hand politely. Leoni leaned forward with her eyes closed, puckering up her lips to kiss him…_

_And felt nothing but air. Suddenly, her lips met with someone else's and, thinking it was Nydo, she sank into the embrace. After the kiss, Leoni opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see her lover… _

…_And instead seeing Lieutenant Jir, blushing furiously._

"Beloved?"

Leoni looked over at her husband as he entered with the two children. "Daine! I was wondering when you would get back!"

"Sorry it took us so long," he replied hastily. "We got a little distracted."

"Obviously,"

Zula and Timo walked out of the room to go play around with each other and Daine sat beside his wife.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked her.

"Oh, just our first kiss… at least our first _actual_ kiss, I wouldn't exactly say it was our first romantic kiss…"

Daine laughed. "I remember that! You were just standing there with your lips puckered up and I thought, why not?"

Leoni laughed with him. "Oh, yes, and then I was more than a little irritated with you after that."

"I thought you would never speak to me again."

"Until I ran into you on Coruscant,"

The couple giggled and recalled their third meeting with each other.

* * *

Glasses clanked as many different toasts were made, all for victory. Imperials across the entire fleet laughed and ate together as they celebrated their complete domination over the Rebels on _and_ over Rhen Var.

Anakin laughed along with them as he talked to his strike team, who were all eager to hear about the space battle. "Well, then, there was this obnoxious Rebel in a Y-wing that kept chasing me for at least three minutes before I finally wrenched my starfighter straight up and sent him flying headfirst into one of his own capitol ship's turrets."

The table broke into hysterical laughter and some of the inhabitants beat the table with their palms, shedding tears of mirth.

"Oh, what a dope!" one of the dark troopers, Colonel Daye Kobylarz, laughed.

Duena Jenarian picked up her glass and cleared her throat to get the table's attention.

"Well, we haven't done it yet, so we might as well," she started off and then held her glass high. "I propose a toast to victory and to Grand Admiral Morlev, who so brilliantly showed the Rebel scumbags that the Empire will not back down. Long live the Galactic Empire!"

The strike team joined her in chorusing the final part of the toast and then they all drank their assortments of drinks. As Anakin put his glass back down, his thoughts turned toward what would happen when he returned to the Imperial Center.

* * *

Names; he had two of those. One was his code name, the other his real name. Very few knew his true name, since the only people he interacted with were the ones who had christened him with his code name.

The man sighed and keyed in a coded frequency to the Rebel Alliance; they wouldn't like this news.

"Echo Base, come in," he said automatically. "This is Star-Hopper."

A few moments of silence, and then a response came in. "Star-Hopper, this is Echo Base. We read you loud and clear."

Star-Hopper paused for a few moments before continuing. "Echo Base, Operation Iceball has failed. Repeat: Operation Iceball has failed."

There was a tense and grim silence that hung in the air. "Heard and understood. Cause of failure?"

"Killer Squadron,"

"Heard and understood. Echo Base out."

Star-Hopper turned off his comlink and walked over towards a cantina filled with Imperials, causing him to shudder slightly. Being surrounded by the enemy was never a pleasant concept, but he had grown accustomed to it.

Ordering a drink, Star-Hopper settled down for a little bit of stress-relieving relaxation before leaving the planet. He was always on the move; after all, if a Rebel spy is caught, he is automatically executed.

* * *

Leia sighed and collapsed on her bed. The Rebels had been driven out of Rhen Var… quite viciously, as well. Well, there was definitely _something_ there of great importance, but what?

She couldn't wait to get out of here. This horrible ball of corruption of a planet was becoming too much for her. She still loved voicing her opinion in the senate but at the same time, she felt awful being there.

_Well, at least I'm going on a "vacation" to check on the Rebel Alliance personally, and then I'll go to Alderaan and relax…_ she thought.

And who led Killer Squadron (which happened to be one of the most powerful and deadly fleets in the Empire, second only to Death Squadron, Darth Vader's fleet)? Grand Admiral Morlev. In fact, he _created_ Killer Squadron, which Leia had recently found out, much to her dismay. She had _danced_ with that man and talked to him! She even felt something towards him! What she felt, even she didn't know, but it was definitely something above the usual.

Leia put her face in her hands and let out a stifled snarl. Oh, how she _hated_ Morlev and his Killer Squadron!

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**As always, please review!**


	8. Corellia

**Well, here's the next chapter! Even though this is updated on the same day as the previous chapter, reviews for chapter 7 are appreciated!**

_

* * *

Anakin Skywalker cried as he felt himself being torn from a woman's warm embrace… a motherly embrace. He didn't want to leave her, whoever this kind woman was, but a pair of grimy hands grabbed him just as the woman was being dragged in another direction._

"_Ani!" she shouted. _

_Anakin tried to scream out to her, but he couldn't even speak yet; just cry. So he did. He kept crying and shrieking until his voice gave out. He was shoved into a cold dark room and felt the ground shaking and heard the hum of an engine. Even though his throat throbbed from all the noise he made, he started screaming again, terrified. _

_A hand smacked him harshly and he heard a rough voice to tell him to shut up. Defiantly, Anakin tried to scream out again but was punched into submission, almost breaking his nose. The almost-two-year-old boy wept silently as he sank into a shaky, restless sleep. _

_The next thing he knew, he was in a pitch black stuffy cave with a gas mask stuffed onto his face. He was given a very dim glow rod and told to get some spice called glitterstim. _

_Anakin spent three awful years listening to people scream as dark assailants, mostly energy spiders, drag them off and digest them. One time Anakin felt his leg being wrenched by the thin hairy leg of one of these energy spiders. Panicked, Anakin screamed out and clawed at the ground helplessly. He kept screaming for the energy spider to let him go. To his astonishment, he could have sworn he saw his glow rod fly towards the energy spider and hit it squarely in the face, causing it flinch and let go of its prize, giving Anakin enough time to run into the darkness ahead of him. _

_When Anakin was five, he was grabbed once again, except this time by a slaver. At first, he resisted, but after being whipped until his back was literally covered with bleeding wounds, he gave up. Anakin felt himself being hauled higher and higher towards the surface of the planet until a blinding light hit his eyes. Anakin yelled and covered his eyes, but the slaver dragged him without stopping and threw him onto a ship. After some others were added to the group, the ship made a loud noise and took off. Anakin huddled in the corner, blind and freezing…_

"Grand Admiral Morlev?"

Anakin gave a soft snore and jumped awake, looking for whoever said his name. Instead, he heard his name being spoken again, coming from his comlink. Anakin sighed and put his face in his hands; where had _that_ dream come from? Was it even a dream? He remembered nothing of his past. The earliest memory that he had was being led to his new quarters by his Master. According to his Master, he was a slave and he rescued him.

So, was that a dream or a Force-nudged view into his mysterious past? If it was, Anakin was sure glad he didn't remember it… although he did used to have nightmares about being in a dark tunnel and hearing people screaming… but he had always attributed that to his Sith training… was it really traumatic memories that his subconscious had pushed down?

After hearing his name a third time over the comlink, Anakin let out a calming breath and grabbed the tiny contraption.

"Yes?"

"There's a transmission for you, sir. High priority, directly from the Imperial Palace; shall I run it through to your quarters?"

Anakin pursed his lips together grimly. Force knew it wouldn't be Ceddge giving a friendly word. "Yes…" he started off, until looking at his attire. It wouldn't be very good to be speaking to his Master in loose sleeping pants and completely shirtless. "Uh, belay that. Send it to the briefing room. I want that entire area cleared out by the time I get there."

"Yes, sir, at once, sir,"

Anakin quickly got dressed and paused just before he left his room, thinking about the dream once again. For some reason, he wanted to know who that woman's voice was.

Shaking the thought, Anakin quickly made his way to the briefing room. True to the Imperial's word, the area was vacated of all other Imperial personnel except for himself.

Anakin entered the briefing room and kneeled down, awaiting his Master. He didn't have to wait for long.

The hologram of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Sidious, shimmered to life.

"What is thy bidding, my Master?" Anakin said as he lowered his head.

"I have heard about your success on Rhen Var, Lord Vader. It seems that your quick and decisive victory is spreading through the ranks."

Anakin remained silent, waiting for Palpatine's will to be voiced.

"You are to take back to the field."

Completely taken aback by this comment, Anakin found himself speechless for at least thirty seconds. "The field, my Master? You wish me to return to it with Killer Squadron?"

"Yes," Palpatine replied. "It is about time you showed the galaxy your power. Your three-year hunt showed the Rebel Alliance that you could not be trifled with, but the rest of the galaxy must know your fury. You will accompany Death Squadron until further notice."

"Of course, my Master," Anakin replied, still stunned. Palpatine wanted him back in the field? He must have impressed him somehow for him to come to _that_ decision, especially after fifteen years of sitting on his asteroid doing _nothing_.

"You were too wild, like a rabid animal," Palpatine answered, almost as if he read Anakin's thoughts; no, he _did_ read Anakin's thoughts.

Silently cursing himself, Anakin allowed his Master to chastise him further.

"You did well on your hunt for the Rebel base, although you failed to find it. You were too undisciplined, going wherever there was the slightest whisper of a Rebel sympathizer. You blundered foolishly, wasting three years to find a base you never found! I kept you on the Imperial Center to teach you patience and discipline. Don't disappoint me again, Lord Vader. Darth Sion will keep an eye on you until I believe you are ready to go on your own."

"Master," Anakin said, biting back hatred in his tone. "I am capable of going out on my own—"

"Be silent!" Palpatine interrupted. "You still have much to learn, Lord Vader. You _will_ obey me."

Anakin was suddenly reminded of his dream where he was a slave there. _I'm not in much of a better situation_, he mused.

"Forgive me, Master." Anakin apologized, keeping his head low and submissive. "I spoke out of place. I will, of course, follow your every command."

"As you should," Palpatine responded, his voice back to normal. "Lord Sion will be joining your fleet with Death Squadron shortly. Do not fail me, Lord Vader."

"Yes, my Master."

The hologram crackled and faded as Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, he stood back up and looked at his trembling hands. He had gotten _too_ close there; he needed to watch his tongue before he got himself killed!

Still, him going back into the field? It was like a dream come true and a curse at the same time!

Anakin stumbled out of the briefing room and somehow managed to get back to his quarters. He locked the door and sat on the floor. He needed to meditate… he needed _something_ to distract him… maybe the dream?

Reaching to the dark side, Anakin felt his hatred and his pain, and he relished it. He thought about all the occasions that would cause his hatred to boil…

_Nineteen-standard-year-old Anakin Skywalker tried to calm himself as dread filled his body. A scream was trying to burst out of his throat, but he couldn't manage it, and instead gave a strangled moan. The datapad containing information enough to shatter his world slipped through his numb fingers. _

_Padmé was dead. _Dead!_ His beloved wife, his beautiful Padmé… and the baby… the baby…_

_Now Anakin _did_ scream. _

_Those Rebels! Those blasted pieces of carbon-compacted filth! They would pay dearly for what they did to him! _

_A red haze blurred his vision as his hatred threatened to overtake him. He let it. _

An odd sensation knocked Anakin out of his meditation, and he opened his eyes slightly. For some reason, his dream pushed itself back into his thoughts. Anakin had to know… but know what? What his childhood was like before Palpatine? Know who that woman was? Know what that awful dark place was?

Anakin decided to his console and look up the location. It was dark… it was a cave! It was a cave, and obviously they had to mine something—what was that spice again?—that could only be mined in the dark… glitterstim! Glitterstim was photoactive, so it had to be mined in complete darkness or it would be spoiled! The energy spiders made glitterstim, which was why they always prowled around the spice mines! What spice mines?

Anakin rolled his eyes in exasperation; where else could one find glitterstim in the galaxy? Kessel.

Looking at records for Kessel, Anakin scrolled back a few decades using his high-security access codes. The only reason one would be on Kessel was if one was a slave trader, a slave, or a political prisoner. Anakin remembered specifically from the dream that he was a slave.

Anakin looked up the slave records from three decades ago. He touched the screen at the youngling section. No, he wasn't there… wait; he remembered being taken away when he was _five_, not _seven_. Anakin scrolled back two more years and once again looked in the youngling section.

Most of the records here were merely for getting the money straight when a slave was sold, so there was no need for a name, merely a holo of the child. Anakin looked through at least three dozen holos of miserable-looking younglings (who were probably dead by now or half-alive in the spice mines) before he stopped, eyes rivaling the size of moons. That was _him_!

Anakin gaped at the holo of the young blue-eyed, sandy blonde-haired boy who stared back at him, looking just as miserable as the others. That was him as a five-year-old boy!

A beep from his comlink interrupted his thoughts. Anakin was very tempted to jettison the blasted thing, but thought better of it. Picking it up (and squeezing it, even though it wouldn't do anything), Anakin activated it.

"What is it?"

"Sir, Death Squadron has arrived. They're hailing us!" the voice obviously was terrified; who wouldn't be? Ceddge was a terrifying sight to behold, and those who kept him waiting wouldn't have to worry about their necks for much longer.

Still, Anakin found it awkward at times addressing Ceddge with his _own_ Sith title. After all, Ceddge was Darth Sion, _not_ Darth Vader.

"I'm on my way." He replied quickly. Ceddge couldn't show compassion or patience for him in front of anyone else, so taking his time was certainly out of the question.

Anakin rushed to the bridge with as much Imperial composure as possible. Just as he arrived, the view screen came to life and Darth Sion appeared.

Anakin stood at attention and saluted him. "Lord Vader,"

"Grand Admiral Morlev, you and your squadron will be accompanying Death Squadron on a mission to Corellia. I will brief you on the details on my flagship. Is that clear?" Ceddge obviously spared no expense.

"Of course, my lord," Anakin answered automatically.

The view screen went blank and it almost seemed as if Ceddge's harsh breathing echoed in the deathly silent bridge. Everyone was looking at Anakin, who took notice of it. He turned to the only one in the room who was on his strike team; Colonel Otta.

"Otta, make sure my shuttle is prepared for departure. The rest of you, back to work,"

Imperials scurried around going back to their duties as Colonel Otta commed in his shuttle. Anakin walked out and headed towards the hangar. What were they doing on Corellia? Stopping an uprising? Attacking a Rebel target? Dealing with an irritant?

Thoughts flew through his mind as he belatedly registered that he was about to run head first into his shuttle. Anakin quickly stopped walking, blushing slightly and hoping no one else noticed.

_After_ the landing ramp came down, Anakin boarded the shuttle and relaxed in the back as the pilot did pre-flight checks. Going to the _Executioner_ ought to be interesting…

* * *

"Chewie, where are you?" Commander Han Solo yelled as he crouched on top of his precious ship, the _Millennium Falcon_. A grunt in Shyriiwook was heard and he saw his furry friend walking over towards the edge of the ship.

"I said I wanted the power couplings, Chewie, not the repulsorlift! We've got to get this thing running in two hours! We're the flagship for the squadron, remember?"

Chewbacca, his Wookiee companion, let out a series of growls, snorts, and grunts as he flung his arms into the air irritably.

"What do ya mean you can't find a repulsorlift?"

Another growl replied.

Han groaned. "Well, then borrow one from the others if you have to! And tell Luke that we're he'd better be ready when we leave."

Chewbacca rolled his eyes and walked off as Han continued repairing his ship. They were leaving in two hours for his home planet of Corellia. They had to be there with the rest of the fleet to ensure that Senator Garm Bel Iblis was securely escorted out of there.

Senator Garm Bel Iblis had caused so many issues and had spoken out against Palpatine in the senate so often that his entire family had been executed in front of his very own eyes. Now, he had to flee for his life before he was next, and the Rebel Alliance was more than willing to help.

Han sighed and put his fusion cutter down. It was supposed to be an easy mission—that is, if the information about his escape didn't leak out—so there shouldn't be a problem. Although, if the Alliance wasn't expecting a problem, they wouldn't be sending an entire fleet to get him…

* * *

Leia arrived just in time. The Alliance was getting ready to send a large fleet to see Senator Garm Bel Iblis safely to Bespin so he could hide from the Empire, and she wanted to help.

Of course, there wasn't much she _could_ do; she knew how to pilot but was never trained in space combat. She could carry a blaster and had a good shot, but this was a _space_ battle, if there was even going to be one.

There had been rumors, though; and rumors meant everything in these dark times. Leia had come to warn them of the rumors that she had heard on the Imperial Center. Rumors that Killer Squadron and Death Squadron were on their way, being led by the two most fearsome military leaders the Empire had ever seen: Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Morlev.

* * *

Leoni absentmindedly scrolled through Imperial records for the Alderaanian princess as she looked over anything that was in common to Breifin. Maybe if she could find common ground, they could get together that way. She wasn't having much progress, though. In fact, she was starting to _worry_ about it.

Leoni had noticed one thing; that wherever Leia went, the Rebels had also gone. She was a Rebel sympathizer, Leoni just knew it. It pained her to know it as well, because she knew that if Leia was actually doing the treasonous things that she suspected the princess was doing, than Breifin would never be with her.

As her duty to the Empire, Leoni would _have_ to continue looking into Princess Leia Organa's file. If she did find that evidence that she thought was true, than there would be serious problems. For if she was part of the Rebel Alliance, there was only one choice.

Execution.

* * *

The Rebel spy relaxed on his cot as the ship shuddered and came out of hyperspace. He was currently on a passenger transport to Corellia, preparing for trouble. The Rebel Alliance had to retrieve the Corellian senator, and he decided to go just for a little back-up help.

Star-Hopper, as he was known by the Rebels, looked out his window and could faintly see Corellia. Blowing out a slow breath, he sat himself on the floor in the middle of his small shared quarters and relaxed while his bunkmate snored.

Something wasn't right, and he could feel it. A sensation prickled at his senses and he looked out the window once again. Nothing _looked_ out of the ordinary, but then again, appearances could be deceiving.

_Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them._ A voice reminded him.

The voice wasn't his own; it was that of a very old man who had taken care of Star-Hopper when he was younger. Without any parents, he had taken Star-Hopper in and raised him. Star-Hopper missed the man now, but he knew that he couldn't dwell on the past; at least, that's what the man would have said.

Star-Hopper centered himself and prepared for the worst. No matter what the outcome, he would help. It was his duty.

After all, he was a Jedi.

* * *

**Yay! The mysterious Star-Hopper has entered the equation!**

**As always, please review!!  
**


	9. Senator Garm Bel Iblis

**Sorry it took a while to update! I've been really busy as of late; I'll try to update sooner. Happy New Year!!!!**

* * *

Darth Sion and Darth Vader looked over the information given to them about Senator Garm Bel Iblis.

"So he had his entire family executed in front of him?" Vader asked as they observed the holo of the senator.

Sion nodded. "And now he is trying to escape justice. We must not let him. It is rumored that the Rebels will assist him, so we must be ready."

"Well, if it_ was_ just rumors, we wouldn't have _two_ fleets going after him, now would we?" Vader reminded his friend since they were alone. The pair was silent for a while as the two thought about what was to come, Sion's harsh breathing the only noise in the room besides the electronic hum of the hologram.

Darth Vader sighed. "Well, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Sion regarded his friend. "It sounds like you're not too pleased with your predicament."

"Well, would you be ecstatic if you were being babysat?" Vader retorted. "Master knows I'm ready."

Darth Sion shook his head slowly. "You just need a little more time. I wouldn't worry about it. I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

Vader quickly faced him. "I didn't mean any offense to you, Ceddge. Really, I didn't."

He laughed. "It's all right. I understand completely. I would be frustrated too if I were in your shoes."

Vader sighed. "I guess I should be happy about being back in the field, but… I just feel… I just feel like I'm being held back on a tight leash."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Master will let you go out on your own soon enough." Sion put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "And besides, look at the opportunity it gives you. We can keep each other on our toes. Perhaps you and I could spar once in a while."

That thought raised Vader's spirits immensely. "Oh, I would enjoy that."

"That's more like it. Now, you'd best be heading back to Killer Squadron. We'll be making the jump to hyperspace in five minutes."

Darth Vader nodded. "Right. I'll see you soon, Ceddge."

"And Breifin?"

Vader looked over at the tall man in the black suit.

"Try not to hog all the Rebel targets, will you?"

Vader laughed a little and then left, returning to his shuttle.

Darth Sion sighed after his friend left the room, remembering when their Master almost sent Vader headfirst into danger…

"_It is about time you entered into the galactic dejarik game," Darth Sidious told his two apprentices, forty-six-standard-year-old Darth Sion and twelve-standard-year-old Darth Vader. Excitement sang through the Force, coming from Vader. Sion, on the other hand, was worried. Vader was only twelve! Those Rebels would shred him! Not that Sion doubted Vader's abilities; he had seen the boy accomplish more than he had when he was a twenty-one-standard-year-old Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars. Still, he was twelve!_

_Sion had to do something. Say something… he couldn't let Master do this to Vader… he was practically his little nephew!_

_Later that night, Sion was very close to being zapped by his Master. Although his Master never yelled, his voice would grow fine and silky when he was angered, giving ample warning that he was not pleased. But Sion had to do it for Vader. After all, that's what friends were for, and Vader had taught him that Palpatine would not always hold him back. The boy had a rebellious spirit, something that he passed to Sion. _

"_Master, he is not ready," Sion begged. "He looks a decade older than he is, acts _two_ decades older, but he is still naïve. Surely you must see this."_

"_How fortunate I am," his Master's voice grew even silkier. "To have an apprentice who thinks it appropriate to lecture me."_

_Sion quickly bowed low. "Forgive me, Master; I have overstepped."_

"_I have come to a similar conclusion, Lord Sion," Sidious went on. "You shall carry Lord Vader's title so that when the time comes, he will not be questioned. He will be obeyed."_

"_Master?"_

"_Every citizen of the galaxy will know you as Lord Darth Vader."_

Ceddge sighed. So here he was, "Lord Darth Vader", carrying his friend's title so that when he did enter the playing field, he would be respected and feared without even having lifted a finger. But the question that had always plagued Ceddge for these many years was this…

…what would happen to _him_ after Vader took his rightful place?

* * *

Ensign Luke Skywalker ran to his X-Wing just as his astromech droid, R3-D, was placed into the socket beside the cockpit. R3 beeped and tweedled, although Luke couldn't understand it until he read the screen. I AM READY TO GO.

Luke laughed. "All right, R3, don't get too excited just yet. I heard this isn't going to be as easy as we think."

R3's response was still optimistic. IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD.

"I wish I was as confident as you," Luke giggled. "Well, let's get started on pre-flight checks, shall we?"

After completing those, Luke gave a ready-to-go signal to the engineer nearby, who nodded in recognition.

"Okay, R3, try not to forget that we're just an escort ship for the flagship. Unless there's trouble, all we've got to do is stay beside her and look gorgeous."

The cockpit sealed shut and Luke flew his X-Wing out alongside Han's ship, _The Millennium Falcon_.

"Hey, kid," Han's voice said over the comm. "Try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

"While you're gone?" Luke repeated. "Expecting anything bad?"

"I'm expecting the worst. You should be too." Chewbacca could be heard growling in agreement beside Han.

Luke smiled. "All right; preparing now,"

Luke received the order for the jump into hyperspace and plotted in the coordinates for Corellia. Breathing a content sigh, Luke activated his hyperdrive and sat back, enjoying watching the stars stretch into the blue wormhole that was hyperspace.

* * *

Star-Hopper wandered around Coronet City as people bustled about, completely unaware of what was about to happen. The Rebel spy sighed. Senator Garm Bel Iblis was in the capitol building, ready for the incoming transmission… everything seemed to be working fine so far, but the spy knew better than to relax. Through the Force, tension hung in the air. The spy could practically _smell_ Imperials through the Force. They were on their way.

Star-Hopper walked down an alley, heading towards the capitol building.

Suddenly, the sky lit up as if there were fireworks going off. The sounds of fighter engines screamed through the air; X-Wings. Soon after, the shriek of twin ion engines was heard.

TIE fighters.

* * *

Luke Skywalker gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath as he was suddenly surrounded by TIE fighters the moment he entered back into realspace. A TIE interceptor was on his tail, practically _sitting_ on his engines.

"R3, give me a visual on the screen!" Luke shouted to his astromech. The droid's reply, silent due to the vacuum of space and the transparisteel between it and Luke, slivered across the screen: THERE ARE AT LEAST TWENTY TIE FIGHTERS IN THE VACINITY.

Cursing under his breath, Luke looked at the screen as it turned to radar. Luke's X-Wing sat in the middle, along with the Rebel ships in blue. In red, Imperial ships swarmed them, big enough to swallow them whole.

Luke heard the astromech's panicked squeal through his comlink as the translation appeared on screen: WE'VE GOT A PURSUER ON OUR TAIL!

"I'm well aware of that—" Luke started saying until his engines were shot. One of the engines was knocked out, as well as part of Luke's wing. "What in the blazes…?"

Luke looked at his screen to see that the interceptor that had been chasing him earlier had left and another TIE fighter—a TIE _hunter_—had taken its place.

TIE Hunters were very rare and very dangerous. They were similar to the X-Wings, actually; proton torpedoes, twin laser cannons, and ion cannons were its armament, and it actually had a hyperdrive as well; a rarity for the TIE series. Only the elite were given TIE hunters; whoever this was, he or she lived and breathed space battles. Luke was one of the best pilots the Rebel Alliance had; if an Imperial pilot could disable him in one hit, he _had_ to be good.

Unable to do anything about his wing, Luke instead told R3 to compensate for the failing engines. Only two out of four were failing entirely, but the other two were damaged; Luke would have to land.

Cursing once again, Luke aimed his starfighter towards Corellia's atmosphere; he was coming in hot… with someone hot on his trail.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker whooped in excitement as he shot at the X-Wing in front of him. The shots hit the engines and part of the wing. The X-Wing headed down towards Corellia.

"Oh, no you don't," Anakin muttered under his breath. "You're not getting out _that_ easily,"

Anakin dived down and followed the X-Wing until shots exploded around him from a YT-1300 light freighter, diving in from above. Muttering a curse, Anakin pulled out of the dive and tore after the Corellian freighter.

* * *

Star-Hopper watched the space battle from a rooftop as people below panicked and ran in all directions. Below, Star-Hopper heard a little girl scream out for her parents. The Rebel spy looked down and saw a young Human girl no older than six about to get trampled to death by the panicking mob.

Cursing under his breath, the spy jumped down and scooped up the youngling, running with the crowd just as an X-Wing came screaming overhead, two engines smoking.

The youngling clung to Star-Hopper as he rushed through the crowds. Up head, a frantic mother was screaming out for her lost one. The girl yelled back. Star-Hopper ran over to the mother and handed her daughter over, the mother thanking him gratefully before running off.

The spy ran towards the sight where the X-Wing had crash landed, doing his best to push through the crowd as people screamed. Explosions boomed overhead, louder than thunder; the action was getting closer to Coronet.

The X-Wing was just ahead, smoking from where it landed, barely outside the panicking mob. A battered-looking R3 unit chirped from its socket, and the cockpit opened. A very young man—probably eighteen—with blonde hair and deep, expressive blue eyes hopped out onto the nose of his starfighter. He looked at Star-Hopper cautiously.

"It's all right," the spy yelled so he could be heard. "I'm here to help! We'd better get out of here and head to the capitol building!"

"Who are you?" the boy asked, still cautious.

"I can only tell you that I'm here to help," Star-Hopper replied. "I doubt if I introduced myself that you would think any differently of me. Judging by your rank, you wouldn't know me."

The boy raised an eyebrow, but seemed to relax a little. "All right, where's the capitol building?"

Star-Hopper pointed towards a large rectangular building that had two buildings half its size attached on each side. The area between the X-Wing and the building was filled with the citizens and tourists of the city running around and screaming.

"That's just great," the pilot said sarcastically. "How are we supposed to get over there?"

"A miracle?" Star-Hopper guessed. "We'll have to take to the alleys and rooftops. Follow me!"

The spy took off with the pilot following closely, his R3 unit bringing up the year. The ran into the nearest building and climbed the stairs to the roof. The next building was barely a jump away, and the other buildings were lined up side-by-side, making it easy to traverse.

"So," the spy said conversationally as if they were getting acquainted at a restaurant. "You never told me your name."

"Ensign Luke Skywalker," the pilot replied.

Star-Hopper almost tripped over his own two feet. _Skywalker?!_ He couldn't have heard correctly! Maybe the boy was another Skywalker… could there be another Skywalker?

"Well, Ensign Skywalker," he continued on after regaining his composure. "How old are you? You can't be older than twenty."

"I'm eighteen," Ensign Skywalker replied. Star-Hopper nodded; that's what he thought.

A few minute later, they reached a snag; there was a huge courtyard between them and the capitol building… and the courtyard was filled with people. TIE Fighters flew overhead, hot in pursuit of X-Wings. A _Sentinel_-class transport was coming in for a landing on the capitol building's roof.

"Shuttlecraft!" Ensign Skywalker swore under his breath.

"Not just any shuttlecraft," Star-Hopper watched the transport fold its long grey wings upwards as the landing gear came down. "It's a _Sentinel_-class landing craft. That means it's got at least fifty stormtroopers on board."

"This isn't my day," the young ensign moaned.

The Rebel spy put a reassuring hand on Skywalker's shoulder. "Don't worry; we'll pull through. We have to get to the senator before the Imperials do. Come on."

Star-Hopper climbed down a ladder on the side of the building on which they were standing and waited for Ensign Skywalker to join him.

As soon as Skywalker landed, he took off, heading straight towards the capitol building. Star-Hopper quickly grabbed the impulsive boy.

"Careful, ensign!" he shouted over the din. "You'll get yourself trampled if you run into a crowd like that!"

"What do you suggest?" Ensign Skywalker replied angrily. "There's no other way to get there unless we somehow grow a repulsorlift and fly over there!"

"Think, young Skywalker," Star-Hopper said patiently. "If we could go around the perimeter of the building—using the alleys—then would there be as much of an issue?"

Ensign Skywalker looked at the dark, deserted alleys and then looked at the spy. He nodded. "All right,"

The two ran through the alleys for a few minutes until they finally had to brave the mob and run towards the entrance. Star-Hopper grabbed the ensign's sleeve and rushed in full speed, pushing and shoving through the desperate people. More Imperial shuttles began to land in different areas of Coronet City as stormtroopers began rounding up and calming the crowds. The Rebel spy and Ensign Skywalker barely managed to enter the capitol building before stormtroopers showed up in the courtyard.

Star-Hopper led the way as they rushed up stairs three at a time until they finally reached the floor where Senator Iblis was. As soon as they entered the room, blaster fire pelted the walls around them. Star-Hopper pushed Ensign Skywalker into a hallway and grabbed his blaster, firing three times, stunning three troopers.

Making sure to stay in the shadows, the spy knocked out the stormtroopers one by one until only two remained. Here, Skywalker took over, firing four times and taking out the troopers. Star-Hopper walked into the room towards Garm Bel Iblis, who was crouched down, hands over his head, to avoid all of the crossfire.

"Hello, there," the spy said casually.

"I'm supposing you're with the Alliance," Senator Iblis assumed in a shaky tone.

"Yes," Star-Hopper replied. "Please come with us."

Ensign Skywalker helped the senator up and the three ran down the stairs as fast as they could go, hearing more stormtroopers nearby. Just as they reached the bottom floor, they saw Imperial officers heading towards the capitol building.

"I believe the front door is not the way to go," the spy said quickly. "Do you have another way out, senator?"

Senator Iblis straightened himself out. "Yes; we need to get to the basement. Follow me!"

* * *

Anakin Skywalker was still irritated as he sat impatiently in a shuttle heading towards the capitol building. He had lost the Corellian freighter. The pilot was good—whoever he was—because he managed to scurry around the battlefield long enough for his friends to try and fry Anakin. It was no matter; Anakin would get him next time. He imprinted the image of the Corellian ship into his head and he would be ready next time; no fooling around.

"Grand Admiral Morlev, we've lost the senator," an Imperial officer said, a little nervous at what Anakin's reaction would be.

Anakin's irritation increased; his patience had been really strained lately. He was very tempted to reach into the Force and strangle the man, but quickly pushed the thought aside. Instead, he made it clear he was unhappy by the open murder in his voice.

"Commander, tear this city apart and bring me anyone who rebels, I want them alive!"

* * *

**As always, please please review!!**


	10. Ben

**I am so sorry for the huge wait, if you look at my profile it explains everything there. Basically to sum it up, I needed a break to think and the computer crashed during that break... GRR! Anyway, here's a nice loooooooooong update as a peace offering! I hope you guys are still alive and are still interested in this story!**

* * *

"This is an amazing escape route!" Luke muttered under his breath sarcastically.

They were currently wading in knee-deep sewage. When the senator had said that it wouldn't be pleasant, Luke didn't think it would be _this_ revolting. The smell was almost unbearable.

Luke's mysterious companion seemed to be relaxed, however.

The Rebel ensign wasn't so sure he knew whether to trust his new friend. He had helped him get to the senator, so that was something in his favor, but he didn't even introduce himself, and that was a bad sign. It meant he was hiding something.

Senator Iblis led them to the edge of the city before exiting the sewage system, much to Luke's joy.

A kilometer's trek later, a Rebel shuttlecraft was coming down for a landing as the three waited, still damp from the sewage water.

Luke gagged. "I smell awful."

The other laughed. "I've smelled worse, friend, don't worry too much about it."

"Are you ever going to introduce yourself?" Luke asked, suspicion clear in his tone.

"You will understand soon, young one," the man answered calmly.

Senator Iblis smiled as Rebels exited the landing craft's ramp, fully armed.

"Senator, if you'll just come with us," they started saying before the nameless man cut them off, holding up a hand for silence.

"We have to get out of here." He said in an urgent voice.

"What? What is it?" the senator asked, clearly confused and a little panicked.

Luke didn't know what was wrong with the man, but he had a gut feeling that something was off.

Suddenly, two of the Rebels who were standing there were shot and fell over dead. Luke's quick reflexes allowed him to get over his shock faster than the senator, but the other man was already in action, shooting down Imperial stormtroopers as they appeared.

"Get the senator on board!" he shouted to Luke.

Although he still had his doubts about the man, Luke listened, rushing the senator to safety. As soon as he got him on board, he shouted to the pilot, "Take off!"

A nearby explosion rocked the ship and Luke literally rolled down the landing ramp just before it started closing. The ship took off without him as more and more stormtroopers appeared.

The remaining three Rebels were already dead, so it was just Luke and the man.

"_Now_ are you going to tell me your name?" Luke yelled over the noise. "I'd really like to know that you're legitimate before I die!"

"Would merely stating that I'm legitimate be enough?" the man shouted back.

"NO!!" Luke replied hotly.

The man sighed and continued firing. Suddenly, he stiffened, his eyes widening in horror.

"What? What is it?" Luke asked, frantic.

"That grand admiral… he's…" the rest of his explanation was lost in a sudden yelp of pain; he had been shot.

It wasn't lethal, but it was enough to knock him out. Luke was alone.

Cursing, Luke grabbed the man by his wrists and dragged him back towards the city. Maybe they could lose the Imperials in the crowds… if the city wasn't already entirely occupied by the Imps.

* * *

Anakin smiled; he had just received the report, and it was a good thing too. His mission was done.

"Lord Vader, we have the senator," he spoke into the comlink.

Ceddge's harsh breathing could be heard on the other end. "Very good. Leave a garrison and then return to your ships. We are finished here."

"Yes, my lord," Anakin responded, shutting the comlink off. He then turned to face his officers. "You heard him, men; get everyone back to the fleet."

They all nodded, saluted, and carried out their orders. Anakin sensed someone nearby… he didn't know who, though… was it a Force-sensitive?

He had never sensed another Force-sensitive before. His master had done such a thorough job weeding the Jedi out that after fifty years, there literally were none left; the Jedi Order had died out. How could he be sensing this then? The only other Force-sensitive presences in the galaxy were his master and Ceddge… no one else.

This required further investigation.

_Ceddge_, Anakin called out through the Force.

_What is it, Breifin?_ Ceddge answered.

_Are you sensing what I'm sensing?_

Ceddge paused. _Breifin, all I sense is panic from the Rebels and the citizens. What are _you_ sensing?_

_Someone's here. Someone who's Force-sensitive. And they've got training too; I can tell._ Anakin replied.

This comment obviously took Ceddge aback; he didn't respond, and Anakin almost lost contact with him.

_A… a _Force-sensitive_? Here? How is that possible? The Jedi are all _dead_!_ He stumbled out.

Anakin mentally shrugged. _I'm as clueless as you are, friend. Any suggestions? You've dealt with exterminating Jedi, not me. _

Ceddge suddenly felt elated through the Force. _Finally, a challenge! Oh, Breifin you'll _love_ killing Jedi; it is far better than any other mission. Jedi are entertaining, and a good practice. Yes, yes… you should find this Jedi. Eliminate him._

Anakin nodded. _Of course. I'm sure Master will be pleased._

Ceddge nodded, but then paused. _Wait, hold that thought… how old are we talking?_

_Too old to be turned, Ceddge,_ Anakin responded quickly, knowing his friend's train of thought. _Too strong in his own ways._

_Very well… if this Jedi _is_ trained, then our master should know of this. Find this Jedi, but don't kill him. I want him alive. We'll let our master decide his fate._

Anakin bowed his head. _It will be done._

Anakin cut off the connection to Ceddge and started heading towards the outskirts of the city when he suddenly paused… was it _one_ Jedi or _two_?

* * *

Star-Hopper moaned as he regained consciousness. Ensign Skywalker was dragging him across hilly terrain, panting the whole while.

"What happened?" Star-Hopper asked.

"You were shot," Luke explained. "We're heading back to Coronet so we can get out of here."

"How? The fleet's going to be blockading this planet for a while!" Star-Hopper interjected. "Did you get Senator Iblis out?"

Luke nodded. "The ship took off with him in it, that's all I can guarantee."

Star-Hopper reached out into the Force, searching for the senator. Instead of finding Senator Iblis, he felt a cold void… someone was blocking him.

"Star's end," he cursed harshly. Luke paused.

"What's wrong?"

"They're on to us. We have to get out of here, now." Star-Hopper stated as he stood himself up without Luke's help.

"Where are we going to go?" Luke asked, hoping that the Rebel spy would know.

Star-Hopper crossed his arms, sensing for a safe place. "If we could head north one kilometer, we can contact a nearby ship and get out of here. If that doesn't work, we're stranded here."

Luke looked grim. "Great,"

The two hiked over the hills for about an hour, Star-Hopper having to occasionally stop due to his injury. He tried not to waste too much time, however; he could sense that their pursuer was catching up.

"What were you trying to say before, anyway?" Luke asked the spy. "Just before you were shot, you were trying to tell me something."

Star-Hopper scrunched his face up, trying to remember when it suddenly hit him. "They have a Sith on their side."

Luke looked clueless. "They what?"

"They have a _Sith_ on their side," Star-Hopper repeated. "You know what the Jedi were, right?"

"Of course I do!" Luke replied indignantly. "What Rebel doesn't know about the Jedi?"

"Well, the Sith are the exact opposite," Star-Hopper intoned. "The Emperor is a Sith, and Darth Vader is his apprentice… but there's another. I just sensed it before I got shot because of the close proximity to him."

"What?" Luke stopped dead in his tracks. "So, you're telling me that someone else has Vader's powers as well?"

"No…" Star-Hopper also paused to catch his breath. "This one is far more powerful than Darth Vader."

"_More_ powerful?" Luke gaped. "That can't be possible, not with all the stories I've heard about Vader!"

"Obviously, it _is_ possible," Star-Hopper resumed his trek, Luke stumbling to catch up. "Because I sensed it,"

"Do you know who it is?" Luke asked.

Star-Hopper shook his head. "I have an idea, but I can't be sure."

Off in the distance, Star-Hopper sensed their pursuer gaining ground, and quickly. He increased his speed.

"What's the rush?" Luke panted.

"Someone's following us,"

"Well, shouldn't we try to lose that someone?"

"We don't have enough time or stamina. We just have to get there before that person gets to us."

Luke contacted a Rebel ship called the _Millennium Falcon_. When the captain answered, they obviously knew each other.

"Luke! Kid, how do you always end up in the worst situation?" Captain Solo asked.

Luke laughed and shrugged. "I haven't a clue. Han, you've got to come and pick us up; we're stranded!"

"Uh, who's 'us'"? Captain Solo inquired.

"Me and…" Luke looked over at Star-Hopper helplessly. "… a friend."

Star-Hopper asked for Luke's comlink, and Luke handed it over. "Captain Solo, this is Star-Hopper. We request immediate assistance. I'm sending our coordinates."

The captain's voice immediately became serious. "I'm on my way. Solo out."

As the spy tossed Luke his comlink, Luke repeated his previous statement. "'This is Star-Hopper'? Is _that_ your name?"

"I'll explain myself in full detail when we get off of this rock," Star-Hopper stressed, picking up his pace once more.

After a while, the two finally made it to the drop point just as the _Falcon_ dropped down, hovering just above the ground, ramp down and ready to go. Luke and Star-Hopper jumped on board and the Corellian freighter shot off, blaster-bolt fast.

Down below, Anakin watched the ship shoot straight for the sky. It was the same freighter that he had lost in the space battle. He swore revenge.

As the _Millennium Falcon_ docked with the _Integrity_, a Wookiee walked towards where Star-Hopper and Luke were sitting on the floor, gasping for air.

The Wookiee talked in Shyriiwook and Luke laughed. "Hey, Chewie,"

"Ah, the mighty Chewbacca," Star-Hopper smiled. "I've heard of your reputation, friend."

Chewbacca offered a friendly grunt in reply before Captain Solo entered the room.

"What happened down there?" the captain didn't look too pleased.

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Luke repeated, obviously confused. "We got the senator out of the capitol building, out of the city, and to the emergency drop point. We couldn't get on the ship because we were ambushed. We had to keep the stormtroopers busy while the shuttle took off!"

"The shuttle was captured," Captain Solo informed them. "Senator Iblis is now an Imperial prisoner. Our mission has failed."

Luke sucked in a breath between his teeth and cursed. Star-Hopper shook his head.

"There is more at work here than what meets the eye," he said cryptically.

Captain Solo faced Star-Hopper fully. "I'm sure Admiral Ackbar will want to talk with you, sir. He's on board."

Star-Hopper nodded. "Thank you, captain."

"Wait!" Luke interrupted just as Star-Hopper got up to leave. "You said you'd explain everything when we got on board."

"I'm sorry," Star-Hopper said as he walked towards the landing ramp. "I'll have to postpone that until after my debriefing. You can meet me in the mess hall in an hour."

* * *

Anakin meditated, trying to calm himself down. The mission was a success, but something far worse than a mere senator had shown itself; a Jedi.

Palpatine was now aware of the situation. It was up to Sion to find the Jedi. Anakin was now on his own.

He already had a new assignment. There were rumors that the Rebels had established an outpost on Dantooine. He was to eliminate it.

The mission was easy enough, but Anakin felt like a fool running a fool's errand. _He_ had been the one to sense the Jedi not Ceddge.

Anakin was still fuming over the matter when sensed the same presence nearby. He was close… oh, so tantalizingly close…

Deciding to change the hyperspace coordinates, Anakin contacted the bridge and told them to plot a new course.

They were intercepting the Jedi.

* * *

Luke waited anxiously in the mess hall as Star-Hopper entered. Han sat beside him, as well as Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. Star-Hopper paused slightly at seeing Luke's companions, but continued towards him nonetheless.

"I didn't expect a committee," he said as he sat down.

"Sorry, they got curious," Luke said apologetically. "So, we have a few questions for you."

"Before you ask them," Star-Hopper interrupted. "May I remind you that I am telling you this in the strictest confidence. Not even the high-ups know my true identity. Are we clear?"

"Of course," Han replied. "So, what _is_ your real name?"

Star-Hopper paused and then sighed. It seemed like the burden of it had been weighing him down. "You can call me Ben."

"Okay, Ben," Luke said softly so no one would over hear. "I'm presuming that your affiliation with the Rebel Alliance is as a spy."

Ben nodded. "Yes, I am a spy. I've been a spy for ten years now. I'm one of the best that the Alliance has."

"Wow," Lando whistled.

"How could you tell that there's another Sith?" Han asked. "Do the superiors know about it now?"

Ben nodded. "Yes, our superiors know about the issue. They're worried."

"You didn't answer _how_ though," Lando pressed.

"No, I suppose I didn't," Ben sighed. "I'm… I'm a Jedi."

"You're a _what_?" Luke almost yelled, causing some people to glance in their direction before Ben, Han, Lando, and Chewie all silenced him with a look. "Sorry,"

"Yes, I am a Jedi," Ben went on. "I was born to a nobleman who was behind with his debts. He harbored a Jedi in his estate, and when my parents were killed by the Hutt crime lords because my father couldn't pay up, the Jedi helped me avoid getting caught and sold into slavery. He raised me and trained me in the ways of the Jedi. A decade ago he was killed by Darth Vader, but I managed to escape. I knew I couldn't afford to blow my cover so I became a spy for the Rebel Alliance. I've been doing it ever since."

"That's _amazing_," Luke whispered in awe.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Han said approvingly. "I know a Jedi. That's pretty incredible. I thought all the Jedi were dead, though. How did your pal survive so long?"

"He mastered the technique of hiding himself in the Force," Ben explained. "And he taught that technique to me. It has benefited me over the years; that's why no one's ever found me… but I'm afraid I slipped. When I was injured on Corellia, I let my guard down. I fear that Vader might have sensed me… or the other."

"Who _is_ the other?" Lando asked.

"After meditating on it for a while, I didn't get too far," Ben replied. "Whoever it is, he's good. I know he's a high ranking officer, but I'm not sure who…"

Chewbacca asked who the Jedi that trained Ben was.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave you hanging with that question," Ben answered with a smile. "I'm not ready to tell you _everything_."

Luke looked a little crestfallen, but quickly recovered. "Well, Ben, what can we call you in public? Are we going to see you again? You've got to stay, you just have to!"

"I'm not sure if I can, Luke…" Ben muttered. "Our occupations are different. I am a spy, after all."

"Well, they don't need you for anything _now_, do they?" Luke pressed on.

"They most likely will," Ben replied, a little sad. "Particularly with this new piece of information on the Sith."

"Do you think Princess Leia will be privileged to this information?" Lando asked.

"Most likely," Ben responded. "She is, after all, a spy in her own right. I'm afraid I must leave you now. I'll contact you if I'm ever nearby. Until then,"

Ben stood up, gave a friendly smile, and then walked out of the mess hall. The four sat watching him go before Han spoke out.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing,"

Luke, Lando, and Chewbacca laughed and the four got up and left, talking about what their next assignment might be.

Suddenly, klaxons blared and the ship lurched horribly, sending everyone to the ground.

"What was _that_?" Lando yelled.

The ship bucked once again and they felt themselves being pulled out of hyperspace. A few ships could do this task, but the possibility of it being pirates was very slim. Space pirates didn't mess with military ships, particularly when in a fleet… so the only other possibility was the Immobilizer 418 cruiser, also known as the Interdictor.

Interdictors were made specifically to create artificial gravity wells so they could pull ships out of hyperspace or prevent them from jumping into hyperspace at all. Because this was their main concern, however, they weren't as well equipped for battle; therefore, they traveled in fleets.

The Imperials had caught up with them.

* * *

Anakin smiled, a predator's growl rumbling in his throat; this was the pleasure he felt when he hunted the Rebels down all those years ago.

They had found the fleet, and their two Interdictors pulled it out of hyperspace. Now, they just had to engage the fleet and go to the flagship. The Jedi was there.

Anakin's smile grew wider and more sadistic as he sensed the Jedi try to cover his presence but fail. Now that Anakin had clamped down on him, he would _never_ escape.

"Captain, prepare your squadrons for battle," Anakin ordered. "And get the landing crafts ready."

* * *

Ben frantically tried to cover his presence in the Force as he sensed the Sith feeling out for him. He was in trouble now… the Sith were on to him, and they wouldn't relinquish until they had him.

He had to get out of there. He was now an Imperial magnet. Any hope of seeing Luke, Han, Lando, or Chewbacca again quickly faded as he ran down the corridors in an attempt to get to the hangar, which brought him stumbling right back into Luke and his companions.

"Ben!" Luke shouted in surprise. Ben grimaced, but he didn't really mind being called that in public; no one knew him anyway, and it wasn't his real name. "What's going on?"

"They're after me," Ben quickly explained. "They know what I am. I can't stay anymore; I'll just attract them to you. I have to leave _now_."

"Whoa, hold on, buddy," Han held up his hands for emphasis. "We can get you out of here."

"I can't possibly put you in danger," Ben tried to explain, but was interrupted by Chewbacca stating that there wasn't any room for argument.

Luke and Han led the way as Lando and Chewie helped Ben run faster; he still hadn't healed completely from his blaster wound.

They reached the _Millennium Falcon_ in record time and boarded as Han's and Chewbacca's hands flew over the consoles in the cockpit. The _Falcon_'s engines came roaring to life as the landing ramp closed and Luke, Lando, and Ben collapsed in the lounge area.

"Don't worry, Ben," Luke said cheerfully. "You're our friend now, and friends are there for each other. Welcome to the family."

Ben paused, oddly touched by the ensign's words. Although he was taught about the Jedi non-attachment rule, it was only touched upon, not divulged in detail, due to the unnecessary need. His training mainly consisted of Jedi principals that had to do with discipline in other factors. The rule of no attachment was pressed upon, but only briefly. His master didn't have much time to teach him.

The idea of being part of a family was very enticing. Ben had alienated himself from the galaxy for over a decade. Even when he was a youngling living with his parents on their estate, he didn't go outside the protection of his house too often. When he was very young, he vaguely remembered being schooled in a private school and having some friends, but all of that changed when the bounty hunters came.

Ben ached for his parents. He missed them dearly, but nothing could bring them back; what was done was done, just the same as with his master.

Still…

Luke's surname still bothered him. How could it be possible that his last name was _Skywalker_? He was far too young…

Remembering his Jedi training, Ben pushed the thought aside. As curious as it was, it wasn't relevant to the current situation. He had to get away from the Alliance's fleets, otherwise he would bring the Imperials with him.

"Where is Captain Solo taking us?" Ben asked Lando.

"Call him Han," Lando informed him. "He doesn't like being called captain by his friends. I think he's taking us to Kashyyyk. It's the best place to hide from the Empire. Those Wookiees are too loyal to ever betray us."

"Would it really be necessary to put the Wookiee homeworld in danger?" Ben asked, concerned for the Wookiees. "There could be trouble if I'm there."

Chewbacca entered, saying that Kashyyyk owed the Alliance for helping it recover from the devastation of the Empire. They would always be willing to help, no matter the consequences.

Ben was still a little worried, but arguing obviously wouldn't change anything, so he let it drop.

In the meantime, Luke was more than willing to interrogate his new friend some more. "What's it like being a Jedi, anyway?"

"What is it like?" Ben repeated, bewildered. He never expected that question. "Uh, well… it's challenging with all of the discipline, but I find it quite rewarding… most of the time. This wouldn't be one of them."

Lando laughed. "I can imagine."

The sound of the _Millennium Falcon_ jumping into hyperspace was heard as Han walked in with another that Ben didn't expect to meet.

"Princess Leia?" Ben stood up automatically out of respect, but was too shocked to bow.

"Hey, Leia!" Luke shouted happily. "I knew Lando would find you!"

Leia smiled kindly, but looked a little flustered. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be running while the rest of the fleet suffers. Why are we doing this?"

"I'm afraid the fault is my own, my lady," Ben apologized. "I brought the Imperials. As you know, I am Force-sensitive, and obviously they found out. Wherever I go, they will most certainly follow."

Leia blew out a hiss, obviously worried about the news. "You're one of our best spies."

Ben nodded, remaining silent.

Leia leaned against the wall of the lounge, mulling it over. "Kashyyyk would be a good place to hide."

"We're already heading there as we speak," Han piped in. "We should be there in about seven hours, so everybody can sit back and relax until then."

They all settled to the best of their ability. As exciting as it was to be together on another adventure, the thought of leaving the Rebel fleet behind when it needed them most weighted heavily upon the crew.

"How long should we hide? Do you think they'll find you there?" Leia asked.

Ben shook his head, burying his face into his palms. "I'm not sure. I tried to cover my presence, but whoever is chasing me is breaking through my barriers. It might be about two weeks before I'm discovered once again. Are you all really sure you want to do this?"

They all looked determined, even Leia. "Yes,"

* * *

Anakin growled in irritation. The Jedi had escaped, and he lost his Force signature as well. He was not pleased. He _had_ to find him!

In the meantime, the Rebel fleet was practically demolished. Although the flag ship managed to escape, the rest of the fleet was either destroyed or captured. It was at least a good victory.

After receiving a damage report from an officer, Anakin retired to his quarters, belittling himself for losing his prey. How could he possibly be a good Sith if he lost the Jedi so easily? He certainly caused destruction and damage along the way, but it was never enough. He had to be strong! He had to be _powerful_.

He _would_ get that Jedi.

* * *

Kashyyyk still looked scarred from when it was last dealt with by the Empire. Long black patches where the forest had been burnt still made itself known, making the city of Okikuti look lonely instead of thriving. Although Okikuti was actually situated on a riverbank instead of in the middle of the forest, it still shared the pain of the planet.

Okikuti mainly consisted of farmers and fishers rather than hunters, making it very simple but accommodating nonetheless.

Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, and Ben were offered a hut where a large farming family lived.

Mainly to make the group feel as if they weren't intruding, they offered their services in any way possible. Ben helped tend the crops while Leia and Luke helped in the local animal nursery. Han and Lando did fishing while Chewbacca did what he did best on Kashyyyk: hunted.

After the group had established contact with the Alliance and alerted them of the problem, they were ordered to stay on Kashyyyk until further notice, something that they followed without too much of an issue.

Ben rather enjoyed farming. Although it wasn't something he wanted to pursue as a career, it was calming and consistent, quite the opposite of his regular life, which consisted of constant anxiety and was always changing.

Luke and Leia seemed to be enjoying taking care of the animals, even though Han constantly found it amusing that Leia had to be a nerf herder, which was actually an insult she had tossed at him a few months back.

The six had been on Kashyyyk for two weeks without a hitch so far. Han called it good luck.

Luke and Leia looked a little disgusted as they walked through the front door of the home of Groznik, who was the father of the family.

"That was pleasant," Leia muttered as Luke frantically tried to get black goop off of his rough clothes.

"What happened?" Ben asked, curious.

"I got nerf spit on me," Luke grumbled. "Boy am I glad this isn't my lifestyle. I love taking care of the females and their young, but the males are annoying as heck."

"Kind of like Human men," Leia smiled.

Both Luke and Ben looked affronted. "Hey!"

"No offense to you, Ben," Leia laughed. "You're not as bad as the others. Han's the worst, though."

"Did someone say my name?" Han asked as he and Lando returned with two nets full of fish. "It better not be an insult because I'm the one bringing dinner."

Leia rolled her eyes. "Dream on, fly boy."

Luke and Leia walked off to wash up as Ben helped Groznik gather all of their cubs together.

After washing up, everyone sat down, ate dinner, and then went their separate ways. Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, Chewie, and Ben sat outside in the cool night air.

"So, Ben, tell us more about your past," Luke prompted.

Ben paused. As much as he enjoyed their company and he trusted them, it was awkward and painful to discuss the past out loud… not to mention something he had never before done, not even with his master. His master had always insisted that a Jedi didn't linger in the past, but Ben couldn't help himself. He wasn't trained in the Temple like his master was, after all.

"My… my father was very kind and affectionate. He adored my mother. I remember one time when she was sick and he practically was subservient to her. He cooked, cleaned, took care of me, and still managed to do his own duties."

"How did he get in debt with the Hutts, anyway?" Leia asked.

"My mother… she had… my mother had a bad past." Ben tried to explain as best he could.

"All right, let's start from the beginning, then," Lando suggested. "How did your parents meet?"

Now it was getting very touchy. Ben didn't know whether he wanted to explain it but didn't know how or didn't want to talk about it at all.

Leia saw his dilemma. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

Ben shook his head. "I can't tell you the details just yet, but I'll put it as best I can in the meantime. My mother had a difficult past, one that she couldn't help. She and my dad met… rather unexpectedly… but when they met, my father fell in love automatically. She was a little more hesitant due to her bad experiences, but eventually she grew to love him too. They were married and had me, their first and only child. It was my mother that unintentionally brought the debts. My father made the decision to pay for the debts on his own, but even with his high status, he just couldn't afford it. He spent money on helping the Alliance and then he had to bribe certain people who knew too much, and… it all just added up. When the Hutts finally grew impatient, they put a price on his head, and the bounty hunters came. The Jedi who lived on the estate got me out of there before I could see what happened, but I was old enough to understand that they weren't coming back."

"How old _were_ you?" Han asked.

"I was twelve," Ben answered.

"Tell us some happy memories, then," Luke went on.

"Well, I remember when my mother would make her exquisite dinners for us. She was the best cook in the galaxy, I swear. I have never tasted anything better than what she used to make. I vaguely remember having some friends in a private school I attended… uh, my father used to take me to watch swoop races… that's all I really can remember."

"You're serious? You lived with them until you were twelve and that's all you can remember?" Lando looked dubious.

Ben shrugged. "I spent so many years pushing the memories out of my mind that I've simply forgotten. I'll never forget my parents entirely or their personalities, but I've forgotten mostly everything else. So what about all of you? I've revealed my secrets."

"I don't exactly have a lot of secrets about my family life," Leia admitted. "Well… except for a really big one."

"What?"

Leia also paused, looking as awkward as Ben had felt. "I… I'm adopted."

They all gaped at her. "Really?"

Leia nodded. "Yep. I don't know who my real parents are, or were. For all I know, my mother could have been some woman of the night who didn't want to concern herself with an unwanted child so she dumped me… but I doubt it."

"Why do you doubt it?" Ben asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I don't know… I'm not sure how to explain it," Leia said slowly. "I just have this gut feeling that that's not how my parents were."

"I'm an orphan," Luke stated bluntly. "I never knew my parents either. I was raised by my aunt and uncle. My uncle wanted me to stay and become a moisture farmer, but I refused. I even threatened to run away… so, they let me go. I still send them letters and talk to them, but I'm just glad to be helping the galaxy instead of staring at moisture vaporators. My uncle is really a great man, but… his lifestyle is too simple for the likes of me. I'd go insane."

"So, your aunt and uncle raised you?" Lando repeated. "Did they tell you about their parents?"

Luke shook his head. "I'm not even sure if they really _are_ my aunt and uncle. They really look nothing like me. I have blonde hair and they have black. My eyes are blue and theirs are brown. They never gave me a direct answer when I asked them about my parents until I was seventeen. They said they didn't know them… they never did. So, I'm just left guessing about my parents as well."

"Does anybody in this group still have parents?" Ben asked sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh, particularly when Chewbacca raised a tentative hand.

Kashyyyk was definitely a place of safety. They felt at peace there, but they all knew it wouldn't last… and if it did, they'd all go insane from inactivity.

* * *

**Please review!!**


	11. Complications

**Here's the next chapter. Please please PLEASE review!!! I miss my reviewers! **

* * *

It had been two years since the incident on Corellia. Ceddge hadn't had any luck on finding the Jedi after Anakin attacked. Ceddge was a little angry at Anakin at first for losing his prey, but the two got over it and focused on finding the Jedi together.

Over the years, they had grown closer. They had dropped the friendly names and started calling each other by their Sith titles, and they started falling deeper into the dark side. Plots of overthrowing Palpatine had even come up, and they were in the middle of planning it.

If Palpatine was overthrown, Sion would rule and Vader would then be second-in-command. They would truly be invincible, the old sitting back and taking the political problems while the young being thrown into the galaxy, ready to go.

Although this thought sounded great, Vader had bigger plans in store. If they could overthrow Palpatine, who was far more powerful than Sion, Vader would be able to kill him as well and take the throne for himself… but that was a work in progress, particularly since he still enjoyed Sion's company. Also, he still wanted his taste of blood in the galaxy, and it hadn't been satisfied yet. Being emperor meant that he would be imprisoned on Coruscant, bogged down by political mire, something he did not look forward to. One thing was for sure; he was going to disband the senate when _he_ became emperor. He really hated those backstabbing politicians anyway.

Vader and Sion had sometimes gone on joint missions depending on the importance, but mostly they had led their own fleets, barely stopping for anything. Vader hadn't set foot on a planet in over a year, but he didn't care. He was on the move, and he liked it that way. He had been lounging around for too long on Coruscant, and he was going to make up for it.

Most of his small sympathy for the Alliance had dropped. They were quite a nuisance nowadays, far more threatening than they were years before, and the last thing he needed was pity for his enemy. There had been hints of the Jedi's presence, but whenever Sion got there, the trail went cold. Sometimes Vader thought he could do it better, but he didn't dare suggest it, particularly since _he_ was the one who lost the Jedi in the first place.

* * *

The Imperial Center glowed as the sun set. Traffic still bustled about as usual, particularly clogged up around the upper entertainment district because of a big concert that night in the Galaxies Opera House.

Although there wasn't nearly as much of an issue near the Imperial Palace, it still seemed like it took an eternity to get there to Leoni Jir.

She had found some news about the senator from Alderaan that she didn't like at all. There was so much evidence that, while well-hidden, screamed support of the Rebel Alliance. She just couldn't hide something like this anymore. Senator Organa was very influential to many systems, and she could not be allowed to continue corrupting the minds of other politicians. The Rebel had to brought to justice, and Leoni was the only one to do it.

Daine had volunteered to go along, but Leoni had refused. She didn't want him burdened with the issue, so she instructed him to stay at the apartment with the younglings.

She would go alone.

When she arrived at the palace, she suddenly felt nostalgic for the night of the fiftieth anniversary. She didn't have anything to worry about _then_…

* * *

Killer Squadron appeared out of nowhere as it exited hyperspace near Coruscant. Inside the flagship, the _Enforcer_, Anakin Skywalker relaxed in his quarters, a little irritated.

They had returned because their year-long tour was over and the crew of his fleet was going to get a week off before heading out once more. This was standard protocol that had actually been skipped the past year due to important missions, but it was still a little frustrating. Anakin didn't want to give his master any chances to keep him grounded on the Imperial Center.

Still, it had to be done. He could feel the ship shudder slightly as it landed in the Imperial Palace. Sighing, he stood up and exited his quarters.

Excitement sang through the Force as his crew exited the Star Destroyers and rushed to greet their waiting families. Most of them would be staying on Coruscant in temporary living quarters arranged for them, but some were heading back to their homeworld for the week.

Anakin started to head towards an entranceway that led to the palace when he heard his name being called.

"Grand Admiral Morlev! Over here!"

Anakin turned around and couldn't help but smile. Leoni, Daine, and their children, Zula and Timo, stood waving, waiting for him. He had someone who was waiting just for him. As much as he hated to admit it, it did feel nice to know that _someone_ thought about him more than just as a pawn.

Anakin walked over (actually he sort of sprinted over) and paused when Leoni opened her arms to embrace him in a friendly manner.

"Leoni, you're pregnant," he said bluntly, too shocked to put it eloquently.

Leoni laughed. "Yes, I am. You don't mind, dear?"

Anakin then joined in her laughter. "No, no, you can't get pregnant. I order you to stop."

Daine smiled and wrapped a loving arm around Leoni. "Sorry, sir, but I'm afraid if you want her to follow through with that order you'll have to take me in for insubordination."

"Hi," Timo said. He was going to say more, but a glare from his now ten-standard-year-old sister shut him up.

"Wow, look at you," Anakin said, crouching down to Timo's height. "You've grown so tall! I can't believe you're seven now."

Timo giggled and Zula waited expectantly, her eyes twinkling excitedly. Anakin regarded her kindly.

"My goodness, is that you, Zula?" he asked in playful disbelief. "You're ten now? My word; your age has two digits now! Look how big you're gotten!"

Now Zula giggled excitedly and both hugged Anakin, something which still caught him off guard. Leoni and Daine noticed his discomfort and quickly but gently pulled their children back.

Anakin let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "They're really dear younglings. So, is it a boy or a girl?"

Leoni shook her head. "We don't know. We want it to be a surprise."

Anakin smiled sadly. He and Padmé had also wanted to be surprised, all those years ago…

Forcing the painful memories away, he started a conversation with the couple and they offered for him to go with them for dinner.

Anakin obliged them and had a delicious dinner, far better than the rations they were forced to eat for two years in Killer Squadron.

By the time the dinner was over, it was midnight. Timo and Zula were hastily sent to bed, and the three had a conversation that lasted two hours. Due to the lateness of the hour, Leoni and Daine offered for Anakin to stay in the guest room, but Anakin respectfully declined and returned to the Imperial Palace.

Anakin arrived at 0230, taking off his boots and belt and then swiftly collapsing onto his large and _extremely_ comfortable bed. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, he had to get up at six for a debriefing and some other meetings. As he groggily dragged his feet around the Imperial Palace, he saw Daine talking to a superior officer.

"I understand your predicament, lieutenant," the officer was saying. "But you can't take an entire month off. I'm sorry."

"Why can't he take an entire month off?" Anakin asked as he walked up to the two men.

"Grand admiral, sir!" the officer saluted, a little surprised to see him. "Well, sir…"

The officer paused awkwardly, obviously trying to find the right words for his explanation.

"Give him two months off," Anakin said irritably.

The officer saluted once again. "Yes, sir,"

After the officer left, Daine smiled. "I'm not quite sure that was necessary, sir."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "I was already in a bad mood, so I didn't want to deal with annoying stuttering officers. Why were you taking time off, anyway?"

"The due date is in a months' time, sir," Daine explained. "I wanted to take the ending half of this month and the beginning half of next month to help Leoni with the baby."

"Well, take this entire month off and the next month after the baby is born," Anakin smiled. "And don't worry; I'll help out this time too."

Daine smiled in return. "We appreciate all of your help, sir. Thank you."

Anakin turned to go, but Daine called him back. "Sir, we're going to the theater to see a HoloNet feature tomorrow night. We were wondering if you would care to join us."

Anakin paused, thinking about it. Was he busy? No, his schedule was clear. Did he want to go? Of course he did. "I'll meet you outside of the theater tomorrow night. What time?"

"Oh, don't worry about going to the theater without us, sir," Daine answered. "We'll come to pick you up so you can have dinner with us again. We're going out after the feature."

"What time?"

"We'll pick you up at 1800,"

Anakin smiled and nodded. "I'll be ready. Thanks,"

"The pleasure is all ours, sir," Daine replied before walking off.

Anakin wandered around the palace aimlessly for a short while before returning to his quarters. They were very large, consisting of a living room, a guest room, a master bedroom, and of course, a refresher. The first thing one would see when entering was the living room. A long, plushy couch and an equally comfortable chair sat around a low-lying table on the softly carpeted room. On the back wall was a door that led to a balcony.

Anakin walked out onto the balcony and sat on a chair, leaning his head back and enjoying the soft breeze.

Tomorrow night would be fun. He was always grateful when the Jir family put time aside to include him. They were close friends, to be sure, but Anakin never knew when they would just stop contacting him. He wouldn't complain when they did; in fact, he was surprised they stayed in contact with him this long. He never thought he was _that_ likeable.

Shrugging, he closed his eyes to take a well-deserved nap.

* * *

Ben rushed through the corridors of Echo Base as he frantically searched for Luke, Han, Lando, and Chewbacca. He hadn't even been the one to deliver the news, but he did find out rather quickly, and it was bad. As he rounded the corner, he sensed Luke's familiar presence in the next room.

Luke and Lando were talking to each other while Han and Chewie were trying to figure out how to fix the once again malfunctioning _Millennium Falcon_ as Ben rushed in. They all stopped immediately, smiles vanishing, as they noticed the panicked expression on Ben's face.

"Leia…" Ben panted. "Leia has been captured on Coruscant. She has been tried and found guilty for crimes against the Galactic Empire and is going to be executed."


	12. The Execution

**Here's the next chapter! Yes, try not to faint: I UPDATED! Thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter!**

* * *

"_What?"_

Anakin jumped to his feet. "The Princess is going to be _executed_?"

The grand admiral who had brought him the message nodded. "The Emperor requests your presence on the matter, Lord Vader."

Anakin blinked, too surprised to do anything else. "Of… of course,"

He accompanied the grand admiral back out of his quarters towards Palpatine's chamber. _So much for that HoloNet feature tomorrow_, he thought dully.

Once this news got out, HoloNet was going to blow it out of proportions. This was going to explode.

Anakin and the grand admiral reached Palpatine's chamber where he was talking to Ceddge via hologram. The grand admiral saluted and then left the room. Anakin walked forward and bowed, going down on one knee.

"You summoned for me, my Master?"

"I am sure you have now heard about the traitorous princess?" Palpatine asked a silky tone.

Anakin could sense his master's pleasure. He was more than happy to have a reason to execute the Alderaanian princess publicly.

Anakin took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, my Master,"

"Then you know what I intend for you," Palpatine pressed. "Under normal circumstances, I would have Lord Sion do this business, but due to the fact that he is in the Outer Rim, I believe the task shall fall upon you, Lord Vader."

Anakin once again paused, remaining calm. "Do you wish for me to do it publicly, my Master?"

"Of course," Palpatine purred. "We must discourage this sort of behavior, after all. See that it is done and done well, my apprentice."

"I will, of course, follow your every desire, my Master," Anakin replied softly.

After that, Palpatine dismissed him. Anakin left the room with his mind whirling. He didn't mind executions at all, but a twenty-standard-year-old girl?

Shaking his head, he squared his shoulders and prepared himself for the next few chaotic days. He would have to interrogate her, of course. That was standard protocol. Then, he would execute her publicly…

Anakin didn't _want_ to execute the princess publicly. For one thing, he thought it was barbaric to display such deeds to the public and make a sport of it. For another thing, as much as he didn't like Princess Organa, he didn't think she deserved the humiliation of dying in such a manner. If she were to die, it would be in a dignified fashion, clean and quick, and without HoloNet cameras and jeering or shrieking crowds.

He had to find a way to make it a private execution.

* * *

Daine looked over his wife as she sat on the couch in misery.

"It's my entire fault…" she muttered. "Now they're going to have a public execution!"

"Leoni, relax, this can't be good for the baby," Daine tried to comfort her but to no avail.

Zula and Timo, meanwhile, were in playroom watching the HoloNet report. As Zula listened, she heard a few words that stuck in her brain. "Mommy!"

Leoni and Daine entered the room. "What is it, Zula?"

Their ten-year-old daughter focused her blue eyes on them. "They didn't say it was public, Mommy."

"What are you talking about, dear?" Daine asked.

Timo jumped in. "They didn't say it was public! Mommy, you said it would be public but it's not!"

"What's not public?" Leoni asked in bewilderment.

"The…" Timo frowned, his brow creasing in concentration as he tried to pronounce the word. "Eggscushion…?"

"_The execution?"_ Daine and Leoni repeated, understanding the boy's meaning.

Zula nodded her head, her long brunette hair spilling all over her shoulders and back. "They didn't say it was public. You were wrong, Mommy!"

"Perhaps you didn't hear it…" Daine started to say but was interrupted by Zula and Timo jumping to their feet, snatching the remote (after fighting over who would use it), and pressing a button which paused the report.

"We pressed the record button so we would know," Zula explained as she moved the recording back to where the reporter was giving details on the execution.

The parents listened and discovered that their children were more than right: they never said it was public. If it wasn't declared as a public execution on the initial report, then it would be private.

"Uncle Nydo won't know then, right?" Zula asked, using their affectionate name for the grand admiral.

Leoni sighed. "Maybe not, Zula,"

As their children happily danced around (since they didn't even grasp the meaning of what an execution was anyway), Leoni and Daine exited the playroom and returned to the living room.

"Of course he'll know," she told Daine as soon as they were out of earshot. "Any Imperial will. It was still announced over HoloNet, and he probably knew long before the reporters got a hold of it."

"I wonder who is doing the execution." Daine thought aloud. "Lord Vader is in the Outer Rim right now, and the Emperor would not call him back just to take care of the princess."

Leoni moaned and put her face in her hands. "It's still my fault, though! Now Nydo will never be able to get to know her,"

Daine put his arms around his wife comfortingly and sat her down on the couch. "Relax, Leoni. I'm sure he'll understand."

* * *

Leia sat in the corner of her cell, trembling slightly. As accommodating and kind as Grand Admiral Morlev had been two years earlier, he was just as ruthless and cruel in his interrogation. She had held strong, but it took every ounce of her strength to do so. That man had a way of piercing one's soul in a way she had never before experienced.

What a miserable state she was in now. How was she going to get out of this?

Leia shook her head. No matter what happened to her, the Rebellion had to live on. She would remain silent to the grave.

* * *

"We have to go and save her!" Luke shouted. "We can't just stay and wait!"

Han run a frustrated hand through his hair. "We have our orders, kid. I hate it just as much as you do, but we can't do anything until the initial rescue mission fails."

"Which it will," Ben sighed. "I guarantee it."

"Then why didn't you say so?" Lando yelled, irritated.

"I _did_ say so," Ben replied.

Angered by the entire situation, Ben left the room so he could meditate and calm down. After trying to calm his mind for about ten minutes, he reached out with the Force to sense Leia's presence.

She was definitely on Coruscant, inside the Imperial Palace. Ben sensed terror from her. What would make Leia tremble? She had a strong constitution; that girl could resist more than plenty of experienced troops that Ben had seen in his time.

Something must have happened… but what? The most likely of explanations was that she was interrogated by one of the Sith, but Darth Vader was in the Outer Rim and Palpatine wouldn't interrogate anyone personally.

That meant the third Sith had interrogated her.

He had to get Leia out of there. He knew that no one else would be able to do it except for him and the gang. He _knew_ it… but they had their orders: wait until further notice.

Unable to control his temper, Ben snarled in frustration. He _hated_ this!

* * *

Anakin collapsed on his large bed, comfortably sinking into the mattress.

The interrogation had been interesting, for sure. Princess Leia was a tough girl. She didn't crack under the interrogation, even though he had gone to some extreme measures. He admired her for it; Leia was lucky. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't really care if she lived or died, he would've been far more enraged at her resistance.

If he had had to interrogate her during his blood hunt, she would have been insane or dead, but since he didn't really care about her execution, just as long as it was an honorable one, he didn't mind. Besides, he already determined that she had been the one to tell the Alliance about Rhen Var.

Anakin supposed he owed her a "thank you" for getting him back into the field. If it weren't for her figuring out about Rhen Var holding an Imperial secret of some sort, he would have still been stuck on Coruscant doing nothing. For that, he would be slightly merciful. He wouldn't have a bias view of her, and if he liked her… well, Force knew what he would do.

There was one trait that Palpatine had never broken out of Anakin: independence. Anakin was fiercely independent. He would do what _he_ wanted to do, no matter what _anybody_ said. If he really put his mind to it, he would actually disobey an order from his master. He had done it before; the incident with going after the Jedi even though it was Sion's job was a perfect example.

Anakin sighed. He was supposed to interrogate the poor girl again tomorrow.

Kicking off his shoes and getting into some comfortable night clothes, Anakin snuggled underneath the covers and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Another day, another long interrogation session… Anakin leaned against the back wall of his balcony, pondering upon the Alderaanian.

Leia had revealed information that was already known in a desperate attempt to make him ease up, but he saw right through it. Still, he ended the interrogation there.

The more he interrogated her, the less he wanted to do the actual execution, which would take place tomorrow morning. Anakin was confused to say the least. She was a Rebel; therefore, she was an enemy. He had never had issues with killing his enemies before… so what made this one so different? Why did he feel so protective over her?

The sooner he killed her the better; she was rubbing off on him. He couldn't afford to have anyone slow him down, which she would most definitely do.

Still…

Anakin growled, shaking his head violently. What was _wrong_ with him? Why did he give a kriffing flip about that girl anyway? He _hated_ her for doing this to him!

It was a good thing it would be over with tomorrow morning. The thought of beheading her burned into his head, but it didn't bring as much pleasure as he thought it would.

Worried, Anakin walked out of the balcony and Force-summoned his comlink, keying in for Darth Sion.

"Sion?" Anakin said into the comlink. "Are you there?"

"I hear you, Vader," Sion responded. "What's the matter?"

"It's this whole execution thing…" Anakin sat on one of the plushy chairs in his living room. "I don't know what to do with that girl. The more I interrogate her, the worse this feeling gets."

"Feeling? Don't tell me you're attracted to her," Sion laughed on the other end, which always sounded odd through his breathing apparatus.

"Force, no… at least not in that way…" Anakin sighed, leaning his head back. "I don't know what to do, Sion. I need your help; you're used to executing people. I'm a _warrior_ not an _executioner_. I kill people in battle or in war, not in a room with people watching to make sure I get the job done. I don't like it. I never have."

"I understand your dilemma, Vader," Sion said soothingly. "I had the same problems on my first execution. I had to kill three younglings in front of their parents to make a statement to the government. It wasn't pleasant, but after I got it done, it made doing the rest of them a lot easier."

As much as Anakin had gone through with Sith training, the thought of executing younglings still made him feel violently ill, particularly when he thought of Zula and Timo. Sion's statement wasn't helping. "Uh, any way I can do this _without _imagining that scene?"

"Just remember what she is," Sion responded. "Princess Leia Organa is a traitor to the Galactic Empire, someone who hates everything you have fought for. The organization that she supports took your wife away from you. Remember _that_, Vader. You wouldn't want to dishonor the memory of Padmé by feeling sorry for this girl, would you?"

Anger threatened to burst out of Anakin as he thought of what Sion said. "You have a good point. Thinking that way makes me want to kill her _now_."

"Good," Sion purred. "Don't worry, Vader; after this, everything else won't bother you. Don't forget, you'll be doing my job once we kill the Emperor."

Anakin smiled sadistically. "Oh, I haven't forgotten."

* * *

A morning mist hung in the air as Coruscant glowed from the sunrise. Leoni and Daine Jir stood on their small balcony, staring out towards the Imperial Palace.

It was time for the execution.

* * *

The room was prepared. Stormtroopers flanked every door. There were even assortments of tools or weapons for the executioner's preference. Everything was ready…

…Except for the executioner himself.

Anakin sat on his bed, his legs refusing to move. He should have been down in the execution block half an hour ago… if he took any longer, Palpatine himself would probably show up to whip him into shape. What was wrong with him?

The night before, he had been meditating on what Sion had told him. It had made him furious, and he started hating her more than ever, but… inexplicably, when he once again brought his mind to executing her, he still didn't like it.

Maybe it was just that while he took her life, he was going to help another life be brought into the world. Leoni was due to give birth in about four to five weeks' time, and he couldn't bring himself to kill someone when he was going to be helping new life come. He didn't want someone to be aided by bloody hands… the thought of it made him feel ill.

So what was he to do? Disobey his Master and refuse to execute her, only to have her executed by another and then probably have him executed next?

Anakin shook his head. Rule one of the Sith: Self preservation.

Still, Anakin never cared about self preservation when it came to the ones he loved. He was fiercely loyal to them, which was another trait that Palpatine couldn't break out of him… but Anakin wasn't _loyal_ to the princess!!

Confused and frustrated beyond belief, Anakin gave a strangled moan and shot to his feet. He had to do _something_, but what could he do? He had to postpone her execution somehow until he could get his head on straight… there had to be some sort of way…

He couldn't go to his Master. Palpatine wanted her dead immediately. Sion wasn't going to help him because his inability to execute her would be a weakness. So what was he going to do?

That's when the realization hit Anakin. If he really did want to be ruler of the galaxy some day, he'd have to show a little bit more initiative.

He would go to no one. This he would do personally.

* * *

Leia sat, her hands bound by electrobinders. The room she was in was deathly silent. It didn't exactly help her very much. She would've been able to handle it if she didn't have to _wait_ so long to think about it. Wasn't she supposed to be dead already? Where was that blasted grand admiral anyway? Couldn't he even do an execution correctly?

The door slid open, and outside she heard two soft "thumps", barely seeing a stormtrooper's hand on the ground. Grand Admiral Morlev stepped inside the room, the door hissing shut behind him.

"Princess Leia Organa, you are now under my jurisdiction," he said crisply. "You are to follow my every order or suffer like you never have before. I will not kill you."

* * *

**Again please PLEASE review!!**


	13. Poona

**Thank you all who reviewed! It helps a lot!! Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Anakin Skywalker growled in irritation as he desperately tried to explain that he _wasn't_ a pervert.

"Will you get over yourself?" he growled to the person in question. "This is for _your_ safety, idiot, not _mine_."

Princess Leia Organa crossed her arms. "So you want me to stay in _your_ apartment?"

"Until I can find a place for you, _yes_," he replied. "I have a very large and comfortable guest room, now toughen up and _live with it_."

"You're so eloquent," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm getting tired of having to repeat myself,"

"Then repeat one more time for me: Why are you doing this? What's going on?"

Anakin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Your execution is… postponed until further notice. This is a new development, so no one else knows. Therefore, you're going to be a good little girl and obey me. You're not a senator anymore. You're not a princess, and you're _especially_ not a Rebel. Am I clear? You're now an Imperial. _My_ Imperial; you're going to be an assistant."

Leia still looked irritated with the situation. "And you expect me to listen to you?"

Anakin lowered his voice to a menacing tone. "You _will_ listen to me, or death will be the _least_ of your concerns."

As much as she didn't like it, Anakin could sense Leia give in. "Fine,"

Sighing in relief, Anakin showed her the guest room, which, thankfully was to the _left_ of the living room, while his bedroom was to the _right_.

Later that day, during lunch, the news went out that Princess Leia had been executed. Anakin chuckled; the Rebels would be panicking now.

Leia didn't leave her room until dinner, and even then, he had to call her for her to get out.

"Do you want to starve, girl?" he asked her, leaning against the wall casually.

"I don't like being held captive," she replied evenly.

Rolling his eyes, Anakin shrugged. "It's your stomach, not mine. Do you want to come along or should I bring you something?"

A little surprised, the princess dropped her duracrete armor for a moment. "You would leave me alone in here?"

"You're a smart girl, Princess Organa," Anakin stated simply. "I have good faith that you understand your predicament well enough to realize that attempting to escape will bring the wrath of the Emperor himself. Therefore, I firmly believe that you wouldn't be foolish enough to go dashing off on me."

Cornered, Leia caved. "Very well; I'll go with you."

Anakin smiled and led the way out, taking her to the turbolift. The moment the doors closed, he began to brief her.

"You know political protocol, and I'm sure your experience with the Rebels has given you some knowledge on military protocol." He assumed.

Princess Leia nodded. "Yes, I am well aware."

"Good," he said, clapping his hands together. "That gets rid of quite a bit of dirty work. Now, your name is Poona Antilles. You're from Theed, Naboo, and you're my personal assistant. You're new; I just hired you. Am I clear?"

"Poona" nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Excellent," Anakin stood up straight and dusted his uniform off as the turbolift came to a halt. "Let me warn you: Imperials can be wild when off duty."

The two exited the turbolift and entered the large mess hall that was filled with Imperials, all chattering away carelessly. Beside him, Princess Leia gulped.

Anakin braced himself for the first of many tests.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shock surged through the room as the Force grew saturated with negative emotions.

"No…" Luke muttered. "What do you mean they didn't get there in time? She… Leia can't be dead!"

Ben remained silent, shaking his head sadly. The Force seemed to constantly test his resolve. First his parents, then his master, and now, after all these years, when he finally gets attached to someone, they die too.

Maybe _that's_ why Jedi gave up attachment.

Han, Lando, and Chewbacca also stood in stunned silence, but Luke couldn't keep quiet. He was young and untried, and this was probably the first time he lost someone so close to him. Luke and Leia were practically brother and sister.

Ben sighed, putting his face in his palms. This was a great loss, both to them and the Alliance. Leia was an amazing friend and spy. Ben could only imagine how her foster parents were reacting to this news.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Anakin laughed hysterically as he and Princess Leia exited the turbolift and walked down the hallway, rubbing his blackened eye the whole way.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled. "If you're going to tell me what my fake name is, you had better tell me in advance."

"I thought you'd be able to work with it, being a senator and all," Anakin laughed. "I mean, I didn't know there were that many names that started with the letter 'P'!"

Princess Leia sighed and collapsed on the couch in Anakin's apartment while he all but fell on the chair beside her.

"How many names did you use again?" he asked. "Oh, that was just _priceless_!"

The Alderaanian princess kept silent as he thought about what had happened. There thankfully wasn't a spectacle because of her skills on improvising, but it was just too funny to keep bottled up.

After Anakin had introduced her, some officers had started a conversation with her and then other Imperials came with a friendly disposition, which seemed to shock her. The problem came when they started introducing themselves and she had to introduce herself. When she called herself "Pooja", Anakin shot her a glance, but when she started introducing herself as "Pohlant" and "Porga", he choked on his water. As great as she was at improvising and covering her fumbles up, she couldn't remember the name Anakin gave her, and then in her panic, she would forget the name she introduced herself with.

Because of this, the Imperials got into an argument on what her name was, and someone—nobody knew who it was—hit another trooper when they got into an argument on the matter, starting a fight that overturned people's tables and sent food flying, sending the entire mess hall into chaos.

Thankfully, Anakin and the princess had managed to sneak out, but not without collateral damage: Princess Leia was covered with a dessert dish and Anakin actually had a black eye from a random fist.

Although he was mildly injured, Anakin simply found the entire situation hilarious.

"Let me see…" he started off. "First, I introduced you as Poona. Then, you said your name was Pooja. After that, you said your name was Pohlant. After Pohlant came Porga, and then Phelia, Patria, Purdy, Pintie, and Phibe! Wh—What was after that? Oh, right: Polenta. That one's great, but I think my favorite was Pintie!!"

"Just shut up, you stupid Imperial…" she muttered irritably. "I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm not getting executed."

Anakin was laughing too hard to respond.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Timo rushed to the Imperial Palace as quickly as he could, running his short legs off. Stormtroopers at the entranceway exchanged bewildered looks as he stumbled his way to the top of the immense amount of stairs, stopping to catch his breath.

"Uh… state your business, young man," one of the stormtroopers said awkwardly.

"My name is Timo Jir and I want to see Grand Admiral Morlev!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

The stormtroopers jumped back a little because of the noise he made, but they didn't back down. "Sir… you can't just run in and see a grand admiral. Where are your parents?"

"I need to talk to Grand Admiral Morlev," Timo cried. "Please! Let me talk to him!"

"I'm sorry, Sir… wait did you say your name was Jir?"

Timo nodded hurriedly.

The stormtroopers once again exchanged glances, and one of them crouched down to his height. "Are you here to see your father?"

"Daddy's not here," Timo yelled. "I don't want to see Daddy; I want to see Grand Admiral Morlev!"

"All right, all right," the stormtrooper held up his hands. "Just relax, okay? We'll figure this out."

Timo stomped his foot and crossed his arms. "I need to talk to him _now_!"

"What's going on here?"

The stormtroopers turned around to see an admiral walk up. They immediately saluted, and the admiral turned his attention to Timo, who gulped and offered a feeble salute.

"What might you be doing here, young man?" he asked.

"My name is Timo Jir," he said slowly. "And I need to talk to Grand Admiral Morlev, _please_."

"You wish to see the grand admiral?" the admiral asked, completely taken aback.

"That's what I keep saying! I want to see Grand Admiral Morlev!!" Timo yelled before running around the admiral and the stormtroopers and entering the palace.

The stormtroopers and the admiral ran after the boy, quickly catching up due to their long legs.

Timo looked behind him and saw them chasing him, and gave a shriek that attracted the attention of every Imperial in the area. He turned a hard left and entered into a turbolift, smacking for any random level he could, including the top four levels. The doors slammed shut just as the admiral caught sight of him.

Sighing in relief, Timo paced impatiently as the turbolift stopped on about twenty levels before reaching the fourth to last level. He knew that Uncle Nydo was on one of the top levels.

After getting off at the fourth level and finding nothing but a very confused set of admirals who were in the middle of a meeting when he barged in, Timo rushed back to the turbolift and went to the next level.

The hallway gave a soft echo that bounced all over the place, slight enough to be heard but loud enough to drive someone insane. Rich carpet went right down the middle while plants lined the walls. There was only one door on the level.

Timo banged on the door as hard as he could.

About a minute later, the door hissed open to reveal the grand admiral himself.

"Timo?" he took a step back, shocked that he was in the doorway.

"Uncle Nydo, Mommy's really upset and I don't know what to do you have to come over and help Daddy's really, really worried and it's not good and YOU HAVE TO COME OVER!!!!!" Timo ranted on and on until yelling the last part, causing Uncle Nydo to flinch.

"Slow down, Timo," he said as a strange woman walked up behind him. "Now tell me again: what's wrong?"

"Mommy's really upset and Daddy's upset and Zula said to get you and—"

"Okay, so obviously everybody's upset." Uncle Nydo interrupted. "What happened?"

"Ever since Mommy heard about… about the ex… ex-e-cu-tion, she's been really upset and now she's crying and Daddy's upset too and they mentioned you and I don't know what to do!" Timo said in one breath.

Uncle Nydo picked Timo up gently. "Don't worry, Timo. I'll go back with you. Where are your parents, outside of the palace?"

Timo paused. "They're at home."

"Home?!" Uncle Nydo exclaimed. "You ran all the way from home?! You could have gotten killed or kidnapped!"

"Mommy needs help!!" Timo defended himself.

Uncle Nydo sighed and brought Timo into his apartment, putting him down on his couch just as the door closed. The strange woman was watching from the left corner of the room.

"Poona, get me a damp towel, will you?" he asked.

The woman did as she was told and Uncle Nydo cleaned Timo's tear-streaked and grimy face.

"Everything's going to be okay, Timo," he said soothingly. "Now, let's get going."

Timo stood up slowly, feeling oddly calmed. Uncle Nydo took his hand and motioned for the woman to follow.

The two headed outside of the room and entered the hallway just as the turbolift doors opened to reveal the two stormtroopers and the admiral that had been chasing Timo earlier. Timo immediately bristled and clung to Uncle Nydo.

"There he is!" the admiral said before running over with the stormtroopers behind him. "I'm terribly sorry if he bothered you, sir. We've been looking all over the palace for him."

"Who, Timo?" Uncle Nydo picked the boy up. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it. I called him over after all. Don't you all have duties to attend to?"

"Wha… _you_ called for him, sir?" the admiral stuttered incredulously.

"Didn't I just say that?" Uncle Nydo asked calmly. "Now, as I also said, you all most likely have duties to attend to that don't include chasing after a seven-year-old boy. If you will excuse me, I must be going."

At that, Uncle Nydo walked around the admiral and the two stormtroopers with the woman following him. He rubbed his hand against Timo's forehead and Timo immediately felt exhausted, quickly passing out in Uncle Nydo's arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the turbolift doors closed and it sped down to the main floor, Princess Leia turned to face Anakin.

"What was _that_?" she asked.

"Apparently, your execution has Leoni in quite a state," Anakin commented dryly.

"Who's Leoni? Who's _Timo_? What's going on?"

"They're friends of mine, my lady," Anakin explained as he shifted Timo to his right arm. "I met Leoni Jir a long while back. She got married to a man named Daine Jir and they had two younglings: Zula and Timo. The younglings call me "Uncle Nydo". This will be your first _real_ test. Please try to remember your name this time."

Princess Leia crossed her arms indignantly. "Don't worry; I will."

* * *

**Please review!**


	14. Morlev's Illness

**Thank you for your reviews! Enjoy the next chapter! :)**

* * *

Morlev had said that meeting the Jir family would be her first real test. It was an interesting experience meeting an Imperial naval family, but it was pleasurable nonetheless. The whole issue with Mrs. Jir didn't seem to be as serious as the young Timo had made it out to be. She was a little upset about Leia's supposed "execution", but it was nowhere near as horrible as Timo described it. Zula, the elder of the two, had told Timo to retrieve the grand admiral for help. After a series of many apologies, they had shared dinner and then parted their ways. That was a week ago.

That wasn't her first real test, though…

_This_ was her first _real_ test.

The mighty grand admiral lay in his bed with a bad fever. He had started coughing the other day, but claimed it was nothing. Now he was burning up but he insisted that she leave the doctors out of it. He claimed to be a fast healer.

Now what was she to do? Freedom lay at her feet, waiting for her. Her captor was sick and bedridden; who could possibly stop her from leaving?

The answer: her conscience.

Leia was no fool. She could tell that Morlev spoke to no one about her being alive. He had done that all on his own, without anyone's consent. If she escaped, she would be ungrateful, and when the Empire discovered that she was still alive, they would execute him for treason.

At first, the thought of Morlev getting executed wasn't that bad… but the more she thought about it, the worse the guilt became. Leia didn't want to be held accountable for innocent blood.

Grand Admiral Morlev was _not_ the picture of innocence, but an execution was a murder. Leia wanted no part of it, and she did not want to cause one, particularly since he saved her life.

So instead of running to freedom and the Rebel Alliance she so loved, Leia was forced to care for Morlev.

"Where's your money pouch?" she asked him as she brought a glass of water.

The grand admiral rolled sick, feverish blue eyes in her direction. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm going to buy some medicine." Leia replied evenly.

Morlev seemed to be debating whether or not to trust her, but in the end he answered her question. "It's on that dresser,"

Leia walked over to the mentioned dresser and grabbed the money pouch, counting what was in there. There was more than enough money to buy some medicine.

After checking once more on his condition, Leia left the apartment and exited the Imperial Palace.

All of Coruscant lay before her, including the space ports. She had more than enough money to get off of Coruscant and return to the Alliance, but she would never forgive herself for abandoning him while he was sick.

Why did she suddenly care for him so much? She couldn't put her finger on it, but she just felt close to him.

Bewildered and slightly panicked, Leia rushed to the market and bought what she required. She then rushed back to the palace and returned to the apartment.

By the time she entered his bedroom, Morlev was fast asleep.

Curiosity overtook her as Leia put the medicine down on the nightstand. She started wandering around the room, looking at his belongings, yearning to understand why he spared her. Maybe something in his room could give an idea to what kind of man he really was…

Opening a drawer in his nightstand, she shuffled through the contents. Leia paused when her hands felt a cylindrical metal object. Just as she was about to pull it out of the drawer, though, Grand Admiral Morlev stirred.

Silently closing the drawer once more, Leia grabbed the medicine and the glass of water she had brought earlier. "How are you feeling?"

Morlev sniffled. "Like a bantha ran over me,"

Leia giggled and immediately regretted doing it. She shouldn't like this guy; he was an Imperial!

Sighing and keeping quiet, Leia administered the medicine and left the room as Morlev fell asleep once again. He certainly was trusting for being a grand admiral…

Leia walked out onto the balcony and breathed in the fresh air, not knowing what she should do. Should she contact the Alliance? If she did, it would most certainly have to be as far away from the Imperial Palace as she could get, otherwise they'd pick up her signal.

That was it. She had to contact the Alliance. If she could tell them she was still alive and spying, and told them not to come for her, she would feel immensely better, and she just knew it. She hated the thought of Luke, Han, Lando, Chewbacca, and Ben all believing she was dead… not to mention her _parents_. They must have had a heart attack when they heard that she was scheduled to be executed.

Leia peeked into the grand admiral's room to make sure he was still asleep before leaving the palace once more and catching an air taxi. She went all the way over to a shadier part of town, but one where she would be well hidden: The Works.

The Works was an abandoned factory area on Coruscant. Since mostly everything was imported now because Coruscant didn't exactly have any more natural resources, the factories in The Works were abandoned, making it a perfect place for underworld activity… or contacting the Rebel Alliance.

* * *

Ben's jaw dropped. "She's _what_?"

Han nodded. "Yep,"

Luke, Lando, Chewie, and Ben gaped at Han for at least two consecutive minutes before Lando cleared his throat. "So… how did she avoid being executed?"

"She didn't say," Han replied. "All she said was that she was alive and well, she was doing some spying, and she couldn't afford to have anyone try to get her out."

"I can't believe she's _alive_…" Luke muttered numbly. "How did she _do_ that?"

Han shrugged. "We won't know until she let's us know."

* * *

Anakin kept his eyes closed as he rested in bed. The fever was subsiding and the headache gone; whatever Princess Leia used did the trick.

He could sense that she wasn't in the palace. He had stayed alert since then. Her presence in the Force was heading back towards the palace, so at least she didn't escape… but what was she up to?

Half an hour later, the door to his room opened as she came in to check up on him. He did have to admit, he was completely caught off guard when she started taking care of him. He thought she'd run out the moment he was taken ill.

"Where have you been?" he asked in a soft voice with his eyes still closed.

He heard her jump and could sense her look at him intently to make sure she heard him. "What?"

"Where have you been?" he repeated in the same soft tone, too tired to talk in a normal voice.

"What do you mean 'where have I been'?" she asked, obviously trying to confuse him. "I only left to get your medicine."

"You left again," it wasn't a question.

He sensed the Alderaanian narrow her eyes. "How would you know? You've been sleeping in bed."

"I heard you leave," he said simply.

"I went out to get some fresh air,"

"You could have done that on the balcony."

"I had to get out of here for a while." She said stiffly. "I felt soiled."

Anakin opened his eyes and looked at her brown ones, but instead of seeing Princess Leia, he saw his dead wife. "Padmé? Is that you?"

Padmé gave him a confused look. "What did you say?"

Everything looked a little hazy and then his head felt like it split open. Moaning, his hand flew to his forehead. "It hurts,"

Padmé grabbed a damp cloth and moved his hand a little roughly. "Do you have another headache?"

Anakin nodded slowly, still looking at her.

"What?" she asked when she noticed where he was staring. "What did I do this time?"

Anakin giggled. "What are you talking about?"

Padmé's look went from confusion to concern. "When you mentioned that I left the apartment again."

"Of course you had to leave the apartment," he said matter-of-factly. "Was the senate in session?"

Now Padmé really looked worried. "What is _wrong_ with you, Morlev?"

"Why are you calling me that, silly," Anakin laughed. "There are no other Imperials around."

Padmé started to look distinctly uncomfortable. "Where are you going with this?"

Anakin tried to respond but his migraine grew worse. Moaning in pain, he rolled onto his side, facing away from her. Padmé administered some more medicine and then left the room.

* * *

Leia was completely bewildered. What had _that_ been all about? If he was getting delirious, then his fever wasn't improving. Maybe it was just going out with a vengeance.

Still… who in the blazes was Padmé? Whoever she was, Morlev obviously liked her. He was practically acting like a _puppy_ in there.

Leia intended on getting some answers when Morlev recovered, _that_ much was for sure.

* * *

When Anakin had fallen asleep, he was in his bedroom… but when he woke up, he was in a dark room with two almost-opaque windows on a wall to his right, a nightstand to his left, and a door leading out of the small but cozy room on the opposite wall.

Outside of the room, he heard the pitter patter of small feet running back and forth in a carpeted hallway. He could smell food being cooked and heard the familiar voice of Princess Leia laughing along with the voice of Daine Jir.

Disoriented, Anakin slowly sat up and pulled the cover off his bare chest. He was wearing sleeping shorts and his entire body was covered in sweat.

Moaning softly as he stood up (due to the fact that the world started to spin), Anakin stiffly made his way over to the door.

When the door opened, Anakin saw the familiar hallway of the Jir residence. How in the blazes did he get _here_?

At the end of the hall, leading to a lit up living room, Zula peeked around the corner in her nightclothes. "Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Nydo's awake!"

Anakin heard dishes clang as they were practically tossed down carelessly. He sensed them before seeing them, still confused and disoriented.

Less than thirty seconds after Zula's comment, Daine, Princess Leia, and Leoni appeared in the hallway and rushed over to Anakin.

Daine and Princess Leia allowed Anakin to lean on them as they walked him into the living room with Leoni following close behind.

After sitting him on the couch, Daine and Princess Leia sat down on adjoining seats while Leoni told Timo and Zula to get a light blanket. When they brought it, Leoni placed it around Anakin and then returned to the kitchen.

"How are you feeling, sir?" Daine asked.

"… 'M alright," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "How'd I get 'ere?"

"We had called to see if you wanted to join us for dinner and Poona here explained your condition, so we offered to take you and her in over here. She said you didn't want any doctors."

Anakin grunted in response, eyelids half open. "How long was I out?"

"You've been unconscious since yesterday afternoon," the Alderaanian informed him.

"_Yesterday_ afternoon…" Anakin repeated. "When did I get 'ere?"

"Around 18:30 last night," Daine replied while Timo and Zula rushed around, playing with toy starfighters. "It's now 06:15,"

"Oh…" Anakin watched Zula and Timo goof around for a bit before redirecting his gaze to the kitchen. "How's the baby?"

"Kicking," Leoni reported, giggling. "What would you like to eat for breakfast?"

"Um…"

"Why don't you just get him some crackers and water, dear," Daine answered for him. "I doubt he's too hungry, anyway."

Zula walked over to Anakin and jumped on to the couch. "Hi, Uncle Nydo,"

Anakin rolled his head over to look at her. "Hey, Zula… don' you have school today?"

Zula shook her head. "No, silly, it's the weekend!"

Leoni grabbed the food, walked through the living room, and took it to the dining room, which was across from the kitchen. "Come on, younglings, the food's ready."

Zula and Timo rushed to their seats and Leoni served the food. She then reentered the living room and brought some food to Anakin. Daine stood up and walked to the dining room.

"Aren't you going with 'em?" Anakin slurred to Princess Leia.

"Someone's got to look after you," she said, folding her arms stubbornly.

Anakin and the princess ate their food in silence after that, and then Zula and Timo rushed back in after finishing their food.

"Uncle Nydo, we're going to paint the room for the baby!" Timo shouted excitedly, causing Anakin's ears to ring and his head to pound.

"Timo, don't yell," Daine scolded as he also entered the living room, his hands full of dirty dishes.

Zula sat back down on the couch and leaned her head on Anakin. "Are you going to help us paint?"

Anakin chuckled softly. "I suppose I could try,"

"Don't strain yourself, Nydo," Leoni said sternly as she passed by the couch.

"Sorry…" Anakin mumbled, starting to lose consciousness again.

* * *

Daine Jir quickly took notice and helped Leia assist the grand admiral back to his room. After closing the door, the two returned to the living room, Commander Jir watching the younglings while Leoni finished cleaning the dishes.

Leia sat on the couch where Morlev just was, watching the Jir family at work. They really were an amazing bunch, and she was surprised when they had offered to help take care of Morlev.

She was starting to get concerned. The more she stayed with Morlev, the more she grew to care for him… and she didn't know _why_.

Leia missed Luke, Han, Lando, Chewie, and Ben so much it hurt. She wished she could be with them…

Her breath caught.

Just as she started imagining her group of friends and her parents, _Morlev_ showed up in the mental image. Where had _that_ come from? He certainly wasn't a friend of hers… at least she tried to tell herself that.

How long would she have to put up with this? She couldn't stay forever. She didn't _want_ to stay forever… and yet, the Jir family and Morlev kept her from leaving.

She loved the Jir family. They were so kind and helpful, which was the exact opposite from what she would expect out of a family with both parents in the Imperial Navy.

Still, she missed the Alliance. She missed _Alderaan_. She wanted to just go home for a while… even a short while… but how could she get away from Morlev without either one getting into trouble?

The answer hit her like lightning. The only way the two could get out of the predicament they got themselves into was if they _both_ went back to the Alliance.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Anakin was brought over to the Jir residence. He had almost entirely recovered by now; the only symptom left was exhaustion.

Leoni's due date was in another weeks' time. Daine started growing paranoid about his wife, constantly helping her and checking up on her.

"Force, he seems a little nervous," Princess Leia whispered to Anakin as the two sat on the couch in the living room, watching HoloNet.

"He was like this last time," Anakin giggled. "And the time before that,"

"How long have you known these people again?"

"I've been with Leoni since before she was married. Well, at least that's when I met her," Anakin explained. "The next time I saw her was… about a half year later. Then we became good friends. I was there at her wedding and I helped her and Daine when she got pregnant the first time. I helped again when she was pregnant with Timo. On both occasions, Daine was a nervous wreck. I think that poor man goes through more pain than Leoni."

Princess Leia looked Anakin in the eye. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you," Anakin returned her gaze. "Why did you help me? I'm your captor, remember?"

"I'm not a fool," the princess replied. "I know you saved me. Why did _you_ help _me_?"

"You didn't answer my question." Anakin said defiantly.

"I helped you to repay the favor," Princess Leia answered. "Now answer _my_ question."

Anakin paused, taking a deep breath. "I… I didn't think it was right to kill you. I don't know why… I liked you, I guess. No, not in _that _way… but I respected you. You seemed like an intelligent, strong-willed person. I like those traits. You impressed me. I didn't want to kill you… I guess."

Princess Leia studied him, then asked, "Who's Padmé?"

Anakin froze. "How… how do you know about Padmé?"

"You were talking about her in your sleep," the princess supplied. "Not to mention when you were delirious, you thought I was her."

Anakin paled and looked down. He didn't exactly want to talk about this. "Padmé was… a very close friend. I'm surprised you didn't know of her. She used to be a senator, long before your day."

"She was a senator?" Leia prompted. "Where was she from?"

"Naboo…" Anakin's voice choked with emotion, but he fought it down. "She was amazing…"

"How close were you two?" the Alderaanian asked.

"We were husband and wife." Anakin said simply. "She was with child when she vanished."

"What?" obviously the princess didn't expect an answer like this. "What do you meant she disappeared? What happened? Start from the beginning!"

Anakin let out a small laugh. "We met when we were _very_ young… probably before you were born. We became fast friends and married about six months later. Padmé became pregnant the next year… but she was assassinated due to her connection to me. The baby…"

Anakin moaned and buried his face in his hands. "Do you know who assassinated her?" he asked the princess.

She shook her head in return.

Anakin looked back up. "The Rebels,"

* * *

Ben sighed as Luke excitedly bounced behind him. "We'll start training tomorrow, okay?"

"All right, Ben," Luke said happily before leaving.

Ben sat down on his freezing cold cot after Luke exited the room.

They had recently discovered that Luke was Force-sensitive, as impossible as it seemed. After making this discovery, Ben had offered to teach Luke what he knew. Luke hadn't left him alone since then, and that was two weeks ago.

He still couldn't believe that Leia was alive. They had all been so distraught when they found out she was "executed"… he didn't even sense her! Why couldn't he sense her if she was alive?

There were only three explanations as to why he couldn't sense Leia when she was perfectly healthy and alive. One was that she was barely alive, therefore, her Force signature was very weak… but that seemed rather unlikely. The second was that he simply just missed her Force signature in the myriad of life on that planet… but that seemed even more unlikely than the first. The last one, and the one that worried him the most, was that the Sith knew she was alive, and covered her presence in the Force so no one else could find her.

If the Sith knew… that meant that Leia was in far more trouble than she could imagine. Ben had to contact her.

* * *

It was late at night as Grand Admiral Morlev comforted a fidgety Timo, a nervous Zula, and a paranoid Daine Jir.

Leia watched the grand admiral at his work. He seemed so used to helping Commander Jir through the situation that it was second nature to him, almost as easy as his Imperial duty.

Leoni Jir had gone into labor half an hour ago and was in the maternity ward of the medcenter. Even Leia was slightly nervous, but Morlev obviously knew what he was doing; he didn't let off the slightest hint of anxiety.

"Zula," he addressed the brunette blue-eyed ten-year-old. "Go with Timo and find some water for your father, okay?"

Zula nodded and took Timo's hand in hers. The two walked down the hallway silently.

With two less people to worry about, Morlev walked over to the Imperial commander and sat down beside him. "Relax, Daine; we've been through this twice now."

"You never know…" Commander Jir muttered. "What if something _does_ go wrong?"

Grand Admiral Morlev chuckled. "Daine, this is Coruscant, home to the best medical technology in the galaxy. I doubt you have anything to worry about."

He had a point. Commander Jir seemed to relax, but only slightly.

Leia sighed and leaned against the wall of the waiting room they were in as she started mulling over what she had discovered about the grand admiral in the time they had been together.

When she had first met him two years ago at the fiftieth anniversary celebration, she thought he was a stuck up, xenophobic, hateful Imperial officer. Now, she thought of him as misguided; a great man with good virtues that was taught the wrong ideals. Grand Admiral Morlev had shown compassion to her even though she was an enemy, he was caring for others, which he had proven with the Jir family, and he was rather trusting, considering he allowed her to take care of him when he was sick.

Then there was the issue of Padmé. Leia had done research and discovered that she had heard about the woman before, but only briefly. Padmé Amidala Morlev was assassinated before Leia had been born. Oddly enough, when Leia looked at her file, she noticed that Padmé looked a lot like her. Even more disturbing was that she seemed _familiar_, as if Leia had _known_ her, which of course was completely impossible; she died before Leia was born.

Still, she got the feeling that she knew her somehow. It was the same feeling she had with Luke when they first met and with Grand Admiral Morlev when they danced together two years ago.

Shaking her head, Leia leaned her head back and sighed. Why did she always have to get some stressful burden added to her life? She presumed it was just her horrendous luck.

A while later, the doctor let Commander Jir enter. Morlev accompanied him at his request. Leia waited outside patiently.

In the room she heard laughter and a baby cooing. Obviously, everything had gone perfectly, just as Grand Admiral Morlev had said.

Morlev walked out, smiling broadly. "Do you want to see her?"

"Oh, so it's a girl, eh?" Leia smiled in return, nodding. "Of course I want to see her."

As Leia walked by Morlev, he put a kind arm around her, leading her into the room. It felt… comfortable. Leia shuddered slightly; what was _wrong_ with her?

The comfortable feeling she got from him wasn't an attraction. It felt more… protective, almost as if he was there to take care of her.

Shaking the idea off, Leia walked over to the bed where Mrs. Jir was sitting, holding her new baby girl.

"What are you going to name her?" Leia asked, enjoying the picturesque scene of happiness.

"Namaru," Commander Jir barely whispered, admiring his beautiful daughter. "Namaru Jir,"

Morlev turned his head slightly, as if listening for something, and then exited the room. Curious, Leia followed him, leaving the couple alone with their baby.

Grand Admiral Morlev walked down the corridor for a short while before turning a sharp left, Leia following from a distance. He went down the stairs to the level below and walked forward, heading towards the nursery.

As soon as he reached the windows to view the infants inside, he turned right and stopped after a short walk. As Leia watched, she noticed his entire body had tensed.

Suddenly, Morlev took off, running down the hall. Leia practically tripped over herself to keep up, but she lost him at the next corner.

Frustrated and confused, Leia searched the entire level and found Morlev carrying Timo and holding Zula's hand.

Leia ran over. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing," Morlev said cheerfully. "Just two younglings wandering where they shouldn't have been,"

Zula excitedly looked at Leia. "What does Namaru look like?"

"She has your mother and Timo's hair," Leia said, ruffling the boy's blonde hair. "But she's got your eyes,"

Zula blinked her blue eyes expressively just for the sake of it as Morlev led the way back to the younglings' parents.

After staying until after midnight, the effects of the day started showing on Morlev. His shoulders sagged and his eyes drooped as he sat beside an also-exhausted Commander Jir. Mrs. Jir was already asleep, Namaru was being looked after by the doctors, and Zula and Timo were covered up and snoring in the corner on a cluster of chairs put together.

Leia stood by the door watching before walking over to Morlev and helping him up, leading him out of the room silently as Commander Jir laid his head on his wife's bed and quickly fell asleep.

The two left the medcenter in silence. Leia called for an air taxi and they returned to the Imperial Palace for the first time in over two weeks.

When they arrived, Morlev stifled a yawn and they went up to their quarters.

Leia went to her room as the grand admiral dragged his feet to his own. After the door closed, she swiftly collapsed on her bed and immediately went to sleep.

* * *

**Reviews please!!**


	15. The Connection

**Okay, drum roll please! I present the next chapter! Thank you to all who have been reviewing, it helps a lot!**

* * *

The Jir family had returned to their apartment a day ago. Anakin and Princess Leia had been there to assist them, particularly with getting Namaru situated.

Anakin sighed contently as he relaxed on his couch. The Alderaanian princess was on the balcony, enjoying the gentle breeze that the Coruscanti afternoon brought.

After a while, Princess Leia reentered the living room. "What were your parents like?"

Anakin's eyes popped open and he sat up, favoring her with a bewildered look. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm just curious," she crossed her arms indignantly, taking on a defensive tone. "I simply want to know how a great person like you could've joined the Imperial Navy."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked her.

Leia sighed and sat down on one of the chairs. "I used to hate your guts, you know. You almost obliterated any chance Kashyyyk had on recovering from its last issue with the Empire, and you led a three-year blood hunt, killing thousands of Rebels… but when you were to execute me, who was just another one of those Rebels, you couldn't do it. I see you taking care of a family and showing kindness and compassion. What, you don't think that Rebels have feelings too?"

Anakin could tell she had been holding this in for quite some time. "I do my duty. I owe my life to the emperor."

"What do you mean?" Leia leaned forward on her seat.

Anakin froze, not knowing what to do. Not even Leoni knew his deepest of secrets… why should he tell this princess, who was his enemy, when he couldn't even tell a friend he had now known for nineteen years?

Eventually, he decided that he didn't care. He would just leave it up to fate to see what would happen. "I was found by Emperor Palpatine when I was five years old. I was a slave. The Emperor saved my life; he got me out of slavery. He took me in and raised me here, on Coruscant, in the Imperial Palace. I owe my life to the Empire."

All the princess could do was gape.

Anakin sighed and leaned his head back on the armrest of the couch. "And, by the way, my name is _not_ Nydo Morlev."

"It… it isn't?" Princess Leia stuttered. "What are you talking about? How could it not be Nydo Morlev?"

"Because it isn't," Anakin explained. "It never has been. That's a cover-up, a sort of code-name if you will. I'm not a grand admiral, either… not exactly."

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Start from the very beginning."

"Only on one condition," he replied. "That you tell me all about you from the very beginning."

A little confused, but more than interested, Princess Leia nodded.

Anakin took a deep breath before starting. "I don't know my parents or my heritage. I was born a slave, I think. I know I was almost two when I was sent to the spice mines on Kessel. When I was five, Emperor Palpatine found me… I think I was on a slave ship at the time.

"Palpatine sensed something in me. I… I was Force sensitive. Palpatine took me in and raised me to be a Sith Lord. My name isn't Nydo Morlev, it is Lord Darth Vader."

Leia dropped her jaw. "_What?_ You can't be Vader!"

Anakin chuckled softly. "Oh, but I am. The one you know of as Darth Vader is actually my fellow Sith, Lord Darth Sion.

"You see, when I was around twelve, Palpatine wanted me and Sion to start going public. Up until then, we either did assassinations or missions of no great consequence where no one would know or remember us.

"Palpatine wanted me and Sion to become his little pawns to go out into the galaxy and do his bidding in a public light to help instill order in the Empire. I was more than ready to do so, but I was too young and untried. So, Sion went in my stead, carrying my title so that when I do take my rightful place as second-in-command, I will not be questioned or doubted. I will be feared and respected."

"So… so you're just like Vader? I mean, Sion," Leia whispered.

"No, not _just_ like him," Anakin laughed a harsh laugh. "He's too weak. I can easily defeat him."

Anakin would've continued, but he noticed that the always-tough princess actually looked frightened.

Anakin's tone immediately softened, and he grew a little worried. "Don't be afraid; I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

"Why do you care about me so much?" she suddenly stood up. "Why do you even give a kriffing flip?!"

Feeling threatened, Anakin also stood up. "I thought I already explained myself, Leia."

Both froze, staring at each other. When Anakin had said her name out loud without the title, it sounded… familiar.

A sudden memory popped up in his mind as he watched the Alderaanian princess.

_Padmé leaned her head on his shoulder as the two looked at the Coruscanti sunset from the balcony of their apartment. _

"_I still say the baby is a girl," Anakin argued. "You should know; those kicks are too hard to be a boy's."_

_Padmé laughed. "All right, let's just say that theoretically it _is_ a girl. What will we name her?"_

_Anakin paused. "I haven't a clue."_

"_I was thinking… how about Leia?" _

"_Leia?" Anakin repeated. "That sounds perfect. It rolls right off the tongue like honey. That's it! My little girl's name is Leia!"_

"_That's if the baby _is_ a girl, who it is not," Padmé interrupted. "It's a boy."_

"_Oh, yes, your 'motherly intuition' says so," Anakin said with a flippant tone._

_The two laughed and embraced tightly, sharing a kiss._

"Leia…" Anakin muttered, slowly sitting back down. "No… no, it can't be…"

The Alderaanian regarded him. "What?"

"Tell me about your parents, how you were raised, _everything_!" Anakin suddenly shouted, standing up once more and grabbing her shoulders.

"I'm adopted, I don't know my actual parents!" Leia said quickly. "I grew up—"

"You're adopted?" Anakin interrupted. "No, you can't be!"

"How would _you_ know?" she asked accusingly.

"Because I was going to have a daughter named Leia around the time you were born!" Anakin shouted.

The room fell dead silent as the two looked at each other in horror. It couldn't be…

"No…" Leia muttered, backing away from Anakin. "No, no, no…"

Anakin immediately reached into the Force, piercing into Leia's soul. He _had_ to know the truth…

And there it was, waiting for him. Echoes of Padmé and Anakin rolled off of her. There was someone else too, but he couldn't decipher it. He had never sensed this other person before, whoever it was.

"You _are_ my Leia," he said with an assured tone. "I don't believe it…"

"No, I'm not!" Leia yelled. "I may be adopted by Bail Organa, but I am _not_ your daughter!"

"How do you know?" Anakin challenged.

"I couldn't possibly…" Leia muttered, throwing her face into her hands. Suddenly, she looked up with an accusing face. "You shouldn't be allowed to breed!"

Anakin stopped, giving her an odd look. Suddenly, the Force surged and a lamp in the room shattered. Both occupants in the room jumped.

"What did you do?" she bellowed.

"That wasn't me!" he shook his head. "That was you!"

Leia's brow furrowed in confusion and disbelief. "What?"

"My word," Anakin muttered softly. "You're Force-sensitive."

"No I'm not," Leia replied. "Wouldn't you be able to sense it?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "I just did, not to mention that lamp noticed too. That pretty much screams Force sensitivity."

"How do I know you didn't do that?"

"Search your feelings, Leia," Anakin said calmly. "You know it to be true."

Overwhelmed, Leia leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. Anakin walked over to her and offered a hand, but she pulled away.

Sighing, he sat down on the floor in front of her, shaking his own head in disbelief. "I can't believe it. After twenty years, I finally found you."

His tone gave off no hint of harmful intentions. In fact, it had relief and joy, brimming with emotion.

Leia's face seemed to soften a little and she looked as if she was about to cave in. Anakin inched slowly towards her until they both finally fell into each other's arms, father and daughter sharing their first hug.

* * *

Luke Skywalker groaned as another training bolt hit his arm. "I can't see anything!"

Off in the distance, Ben watched, stroking his reddish blonde beard thoughtfully. "Concentrate, Luke. Stretch your senses. Stop trying to use your eyes."

Luke paused, trying to reach out to the Force. Ben could sense his attempts. He was getting better.

The training droid hovered for a moment and then silently circled to another position. Luke held Ben's blue-bladed lightsaber at the ready. Han watched on the sidelines alongside Lando and Chewie.

"I still think this is a waste of time," Han said aloud.

Ben sighed and regarded his ex-smuggler of a friend. "Han, have you heard of any tales of the Jedi?"

Han nodded. "Yeah; they were amazing, just like you."

"Then why do you think Jedi training is a waste of time?"

"Because it's pointless," Han folded his arms. "He's wearing a helmet with the blast shield down. He can't see a thing and yet you expect him to deflect blaster bolts."

"A Jedi can easily deflect blaster fire without their eyes." Ben replied, casually leaning against the wall behind him. He then turned to Luke once more and watched silently.

The droid fired twice, but Luke, who had been silent in concentration, deflected them both rather easily. Han's arms unfolded and he stood up straighter before noticing Ben smiling at him and once again returning to his original position in a huff. "He just got lucky."

"My friend, in my experience, I have come to realize that there is no such thing as luck." Ben smiled and then turned to Luke. "Do it again,"

* * *

Leia lied on her bed, thinking about the day's events. It was about two in the morning, but she just couldn't sleep.

Her real father was a Sith Lord… but he was so kind to the Jir family and to her. Well, at least she knew why he seemed so familiar, as well as Padmé… her mother.

Leia wished her mother was still alive. Her father had explained that although the reports said that she was assassinated due to her connection to him, she was actually found dead on Naboo after vanishing when he returned from Kashyyyk. He confessed that she probably thought he had turned into the typical Imperial, which, he said, he always was, in a sense of the word.

Her father had explained that since he owed his life to the Empire he claimed he would always be loyal to it, no matter what the cost.

Leia rolled on to her side, contemplating on how she could possibly convince her father to turn away from the Empire and join the Alliance. It was the only way for them to get out of the situation alive.

Sighing, Leia closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. She would figure out how she would convince him in the morning.

* * *

_The Galactic Empire had been bringing peace to the galaxy for twenty-three standard years now… all thanks to him._

_Ceddge Tran looked out of the window as the Emperor's fleet made its way back to Coruscant. The thirty-four-year-old Sith Lord leaned his head against the wall when he suddenly sensed a disturbance through the Force._

_Jumping from his spot, Ceddge rushed down the corridors to find his Master standing on the bridge. He, apparently, had also sensed the disturbance._

_As Ceddge walked towards his Master, he noticed what Palpatine was looking at: a small ship, heavily armored, floating ahead. Obviously, one of his Master's Interdictors had stopped it from going into hyperspace._

"_Space pirate, Master?" Ceddge offered._

_  
Palpatine shook his head. "No, these are slave traders. We could use some extra labor on some outposts."_

_Ceddge understood his Master's meaning and went down to the hangar with over a dozen stormtroopers._

_A tractor beam pulled the slave ship into the hangar. Just as the landing ramp went down, slavers immediately began firing. Ceddge activated his lightsaber and quickly ended the pitiful display._

_Ceddge then boarded with the stormtroopers and investigated the ship. There were about two dozen slaves all stuffed in a small room, ranging from ages five to thirty. These were young, strong hands; they would do well on Imperial outposts. _

_Just as the stormtroopers rounded the slaves up and took them off of the ship, Palpatine himself entered the hangar._

_The stormtroopers immediately saluted, and Ceddge watched his master in bewilderment. "Did you sense something, my Master?"_

_Palpatine walked up to the slaves, who were all lined up. He paced back and forth down the line and paused in front of a small Human boy. The pale boy trembled, his expressive blue eyes bulging in fear. Ceddge looked at the revolting display._

"_Would you like me to kill him, Master?" he asked in a cruel tone, deriving much pleasure from the fearful looks he got from the slaves._

"_No," Palpatine said. "Don't be a fool. Use your senses, Lord Sion."_

_Ceddge was slightly confused until he used the Force to get a good feel for the boy. _

_What he found froze his blood._

_That boy was powerful beyond belief. The Force practically palpitated off of him. With this much potential, the boy could become more powerful than Ceddge and his Master put together._

"_Master, we must kill him," Ceddge said in an urgent tone, no longer playing around. "He is a very dangerous threat."_

"_He is young, Lord Sion," his Master replied evenly, waiting for Ceddge to catch his meaning._

"_Master?" _

_Palpatine looked over the other slaves and then faced Ceddge. "Eliminate the witnesses."_

_Within the minute, all of the slaves and the stormtroopers were dead, with the exception of the five-year-old boy._

_Palpatine crouched down to the boy's height. "Come along, boy. We're taking care of you now."_

Darth Sion opened his eyes from his meditation as he sensed something change in his friend. It must have been drastic if it could disturb his thoughts all the way from the Outer Rim… or it could be just the fact that Vader is so powerful in the Force.

Sion closed his eyes once more. It would be early morning on Coruscant. He could contact Vader.

Darth Sion reached out for his fellow Sith Lord and felt him sense him and respond. _Is something wrong, Sion?_

_I was going to ask you the same thing, Vader,_ Sion replied through the Force.

_Nothing has changed over here, friend,_ Vader informed him.

_You know, I haven't spoken to you since the night before Princess Leia's execution_, Sion commented. _How did it go?_

Vader waited to reply, almost as if he were considering how to answer Sion's question. _It was… invigorating._

Sion smiled. _Good… you have taken a step into a bigger world, my friend. Now it will bring you deeper into the dark side as it did me. It is quite enjoyable, isn't it?_

_Yes…_ Vader purred.

Something still bothered Sion, though. It was as if Vader was hiding something… but he wouldn't do that. Besides, Sion had more pressing matters to attend to. _I'm afraid we'll have to leave it at that. I should be returning to Coruscant soon. Try not to leave until I get there, all right?_

He could sense Vader smile. _I'll do my best. Just don't drag your feet._

* * *

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	16. Father, Daughter, Imperial, Rebel

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* * *

Thoughts whirled through his head as he put the pieces together. His wife probably entrusted Leia to the then Senator Organa so she could fight in the war.

"Good morning," the princess—no, his _daughter_—said as she entered the living room.

"Hello," he greeted.

Father and daughter looked at each other awkwardly when both began to speak at once. Anakin motioned for Leia to continue.

"I was just wondering about our predicament…" Leia started off, rubbing her hands nervously. "You know, with me being "executed"? If the Empire finds out that I'm alive, you'll most certainly be killed as well for acts of treason. There's no way you can stay here."

"Where are you going with this?" Anakin asked with a hint of warning in his tone.

"How about we put it this way: What are you going to do after I leave?"

"What do you mean?" Anakin shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch. "Do you think I'm going to turn you in?"

"Force, no," Leia replied hastily. "But what are you going to do? I'm not going to stay hidden forever, even if I don't do anything. The Empire will find out, _you_ of all people should know that. When they find out that you didn't kill me, they'll execute you. So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Anakin shrugged absentmindedly. "I haven't given it much thought."

Judging from her expression, Leia wasn't sure if Anakin was joking or just stupid.

"I act on the spur of the moment," Anakin explained, relaxing. "I'll figure something out, I suppose."

"How about you leave?" Leia suggested.

"And where do you suggest I go?" Anakin asked, leaning forward slowly.

"Perhaps with me," Leia said slowly.

Anakin shot to his feet. "You dare suggest that I accompany you to the _Rebels_? Are you out of your mind?"

Leia seemed to expect a reaction like this, but she still looked a little frightened since she now knew of his real power. The atmosphere almost literally thickened with tension, Anakin's anger hanging heavily in the air.

"Yes, I do dare," Leia replied, regaining her inner composure and strength. "What else can you possibly do?"

"I will never betray the Empire that I love," Anakin growled. "I'd rather die."

"You _will_ die," Leia protested. "And it will be at the hand of your precious Empire,"

"I am too valuable to the Emperor," Anakin retorted. "He will not kill me."

"Surely you're not _that_ naïve," Leia started to say.

"Be silent!" Anakin interrupted. "I think I know my Master more than _you_."

This time, Leia did not back down. "I won't be silent. You're my father. I'm _not_ going to let you get yourself killed."

"I'd rather die than join those dissidents," Anakin said.

"Then I suppose I will soon be an orphan," Leia growled before storming back to her room.

Anakin sighed and collapsed once more on the couch. How could she even suggest such a thing? The thought of even _considering_ joining the Alliance repulsed Anakin. His wife died because of those people, how could Leia possibly think he would join them? If only he could get _her_ to join _him_.

Anakin shook his head. If there was one thing that he immediately knew she inherited from him, it was his stubbornness. Nothing would change her opinion of the Rebel Alliance, just like nothing would change his opinion of the Galactic Empire.

Was it their destiny to clash? No, Anakin didn't believe in destiny… he believed that _he_ was in charge of his own life, not destiny. _He_ controlled the Force, not the other way around.

Anakin reached into the Force and sensed his daughter's presence. She was fuming.

He was surprised by her show of concern. No one ever really cared about him in that way, not even Darth Sion; they all just viewed him as a pawn… the only other people who ever showed that they thought of him as a living breathing person was the Jir family.

Sighing, Anakin ran his hands through his hair. What _was_ he going to do?

* * *

Leia angrily paced back and forth in her room. How could she convince him if he was so blasted _stubborn_? His resolve was thicker than duracrete and stronger than a wroshyr tree on Kashyyyk. He was so set in his ways; he had been raised by the Empire for thirty-four standard years, after all.

What was she going to do? As much as she had hated him initially, Leia grew to like him very much even before she knew of his relation to her. Now that she knew he was her father, she was determined to help him. She had to convince him to leave, she just had to.

Maybe some advice from Ben would help her.

Leia groaned and leaned against the wall, looking out the window. If only she could contact Ben…

Moving to the door and manually sliding it open partially, Leia peeked out to see her father was no longer in the living room. This was her chance.

Leia crept out of her room and tiptoed to the door, exiting the apartment.

* * *

Luke Skywalker collapsed beside Ben, completely exhausted. He had just washed up after his training session.

Ben smiled. "You're doing very well, my friend."

"I sure hope so," Luke panted.

Ben was about to reply when his comlink went off. Reaching down, he frowned when he looked at the small data screen. "It's from Leia."

"Leia?" Luke shot up, and, at the sound of her name, Han, Chewbacca, and Lando rushed in.

Ben activated the comlink. "Leia, why are you contacting me?"

"Ben, are you alone?"

"No," Ben replied. "What's happened?"

"Nothing… I'm not hurt or anything, I just… I need some advice."

Ben exchanged confused looks with the other occupants in the room. "You need my advice?"

"Yes,"

"Well, all right, then. What is it?"

Leia could be heard sighing over the other end. "I know an Imperial who has great characteristics for the Rebel Alliance. He's kind, generous, helpful, and an amazing strategist. He's the perfect military man, too… but he's so indoctrinated by the Empire that I can't reach him. What should I do?"

"If I may say so, Leia, I thought that your purpose was to spy, not recruit," Ben commented. "Why are you trying to get this Imperial on our side?"

"Because the Imperial is the one that got me out of my cell," Leia answered. "It's because of this Imperial that I'm still alive. I owe him that much. Besides, if I rejoin the Alliance and the Empire discovers that I'm still alive, the Emperor will execute the Imperial. I don't want that to happen. I need your help, Ben. You're my only hope."

"How indoctrinated are we talking?" Ben asked shakily.

"Thirty-four standard years,"

"Thirty-four?!" Luke shouted.

"Luke? Is that you?"

Luke ran over and spoke into the comlink. "Yeah, it's me, Leia! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Leia laughed. "Boy, am I happy to hear your voice. I've missed you guys a lot. So, Ben, what should I do?"

Ben took a deep breath before answering, pausing to mull it over. "Who is this Imperial?"

"You'll find out if I can convince him to come with me," Leia replied cryptically. "You're not answering my question."

"Very well," Ben sighed, shaking his head. "Are you quite sure, though?"

"Yes," Leia's tone carried exasperation. "I don't have much time. Help me out, will you?"

"Find an angle that he can understand." Ben explained. "You have to look at this situation from _his_ perspective, Leia. If you offer him to join the Alliance, he'll think of it as an insult to his loyalty and dignity. Why did he save you?"

"He didn't think it was right to kill me,"

"Did he say why?"

"He said he didn't understand the reasoning himself."

"I see," Ben paused once more before continuing. "Well, just see it from his viewpoint. It will help you immensely, I assure you."

"Thank you so much, Ben," Leia thanked hastily. "I have to go now. I hope the next time we talk that it is in person."

"As do I, friend," Ben replied before Leia cut the transmission.

Han folded his arms. "What do you think that was all about? Who could the Imperial possibly be?"

Chewbacca said it had to be someone high up in the ranks to even have access to Leia.

"Good point," Lando piped in. "But who could it be?"

Ben shook his head. "I don't know. For now, let's just trust Leia's judgment."

* * *

Looking at it from her father's point of view _did_ help. Leia could see why he was so disgusted by the idea. All she had to imagine was that he asked her to join the Empire. She hated the very thought of it, and she had only been with the Rebel Alliance for about five years. Her father had been with the Empire for _thirty-four_ years.

As much as it helped to understand why he was upset, it didn't help her at all. How could she possibly convince him against thirty-four years of indoctrination?

Leia sighed as she entered the apartment. At first, this place had been alien and cold to her, but now it had a familiar tint to it which made it pleasant. Still, it was nothing in comparison to Alderaan.

Her father wasn't in the living room. She assumed he was still brooding in his own bedroom.

Leia knocked on the door. "Hello?"

There was no reply. Tentatively, Leia opened the door and peeked in. The room was empty.

Where could he have gone?

Leia mentally swatted herself. He was a grand admiral; he probably had duties to attend to. Would he rat her out for suggesting that he join the Alliance?

Not for the first time, Leia began to worry about him. Before, she thought he was toying with her and would execute her when she thought he was trustworthy… now, she didn't know what to think. He was her father, but they were enemies: She was the Rebel Alliance, and he was the Galactic Empire. There would be no future for them if that continued.

Leia let out a shaky breath as curiosity once again overtook her. Perhaps something in his room would reveal a way for her to convince him. Leia vaguely remembered feeling a cylindrical object in the nightstand to the right of his large comfortable bed.

Walking over to the nightstand, Leia opened the top drawer, shuffling through the contents. Her hands brushed over the object and she gripped the item, pulling it out of the drawer, and gasped. It was a _lightsaber_.

Leia sat down on the navy blue blanket which covered her father's bed, examining the weapon. Its design was foreign to her. The handgrip was uncomfortable, but it definitely was a lightsaber. She had seen Ben's too often to think otherwise. Ben never used it though…

Leia wondered what the blade looked like. No one had seen a lightsaber blade in person and lived to tell the tale, since the only lightsaber used in the galaxy was used by Darth Vader… no, wait, his name was Darth Sion. _Whatever_.

Leaning back, Leia stared at the ceiling. So he had a lightsaber. Well, it just proved that he was a Sith Lord after all.

This was insane! She had a father who not only was an Imperial, but was also the antithesis to Ben, a Jedi! How was she ever going to explain this to her friends… and what about her foster parents? Did they know about this?

* * *

Anakin breathed in the fresh air of the familiar atmosphere. This was an Imperial office, filled with _Imperial_ officers, _Imperial_ documents, and even Imperial dumpsters! This was the way he liked it.

Why had his daughter even suggested that idea? It made him nauseous recalling what she had said… but it nagged at him constantly.

The good news was that he was moving out in two days. Killer Squadron had stayed docked with extra vacation time because Daine and Leoni, being annoyingly helpful, had reported that he was ill. Anakin was sure that his crew was more than happy, particularly his strike team, Hunter Squad.

The strike team that he had created remained with him and soon took the title Hunter Squad for their expertise on exterminating their prey, mainly the Rebels. They certainly deserved the break.

Anakin sat down at his desk, mulling over what Leia had proposed. That nagging thought came back, and then he had an epiphany. It was a moment of utmost clarity.

He could do _espionage_.

His daughter was to be executed for being a Rebel spy… if she could be a spy, then why couldn't he? He had to accept her invitation, and before his squadron left.

_So much for saying hello to Sion_, he thought.

He would finally be able to locate the Rebel base! The pieces fell in to place as Anakin practically went into a state of ecstasy.

He would finally be able to get his _revenge_! His wife would be avenged! Those grimy Rebels indoctrinated her and his daughter, but now he would be able to change that! He, Anakin Skywalker, he, _Darth Vader_, would be able to show those Rebels what happens when they mess with the Skywalker family!

* * *

Leia squared her shoulders and prepared herself as her father entered the living room, hands filled with datapads.

"Hello," he said as he walked by.

Well at least he was still talking to her. "I need to speak with you."

"I don't have time," he replied, his voice muffled since he was talking from his room. "I need to get ready."

"Get ready for what?" Leia asked, walking into his bedroom.

"I'm leaving in two days." Her father began to grab his clothes and stuff them into a small bag. "Killer Squadron is moving out."

"What?" Leia exclaimed, all composure vanishing. "You—you can't leave!"

Anakin stopped packing and looked up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Please," Leia pleaded desperately, running over to him and grabbing his hands. "You _must_ return with me to the Alliance. Can't you see it's for your own good? I can understand your pain and hate at the idea; I'd balk at the idea if it were you offering for me to join the Empire… but please, you have to come! I'm your daughter; don't you care?"

"Of—of course I care…" her father stuttered, obviously caught off guard by her outburst. "But you can't possibly expect me to go with _you_. Why don't you come with me? Join my squadron!"

"No!" Leia jumped up.

"Likewise," he said dully, expecting the answer, returning to his packing.

"Pl—please, Father," she whispered.

Anakin froze. The moment she used the title, he caved in. Leia's tears of frustration and panic, which came close to revealing themselves, began to fade.

"I—I…." he stumbled for the correct wording, but obviously found none, going silent.

"Don't pack your uniforms," she hugged him tightly, feeling his muscles stiffen in discomfort. He wasn't used to affection. "Just bring some casual clothes and we'll leave tonight."

Her father stayed in his position for what seemed an eternity until he finally came to some conclusion. "How… how are we… how…?"

Leia released her grip and looked at her father.

He paused, conflicted. "How… are we going to get out?"

Relief and happiness flooded Leia and she flung her arms around him once more. Shakily, he patted her back with a timid hand.

* * *

Anakin smiled as Leia went to the guest room to pack and make arrangements. Everything was going according to plan. She had fallen for his act.

Now he would finally be able to get his revenge on the Rebels for what they did to his family! He would find their base and destroy them all, and then claim his daughter and show her how wonderful the Empire really was. She would become an officer!

Anakin thought proudly of how wonderful his daughter would be with the Galactic Empire.

* * *

Luke Skywalker stood, panting as Ben calmly walked up to him.

"Strike me," he said.

Luke widened his stance and rushed towards him with his training stick, trying to slash across his right shoulder. Ben casually sidestepped the attack. Using his momentum, Luke continued his swing and tried to get Ben across the waist.

The training stick whacked him solidly in the rib cage, but he didn't even wince. Shocked, Luke backed off.

Han, who had been watching with Lando, whistled. "Yikes; I'm glad you're on our side, Ben."

Ben merely laughed. "In time, Luke will be like me too."

Suddenly, Chewbacca came rushing into the room.

"Chewie, I thought you were getting something for the _Falcon_," Lando said as Luke lowered his training stick.

Chewie grunted in Shyriiwook. Han's jaw dropped. _"What?"_

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"Chewie says that Leia has requested to meet at a rendezvous point. She says she's got the Imperial and they're getting off of Coruscant!"

* * *

As much as he relished the thought of exterminating the Rebels from the inside once and for all, it was still very awkward to be rendezvousing with them and not trying to wipe them out immediately.

Anakin leaned back in his seat as he and Leia sat in a transport that was taking them to Coronet City where they would meet the Rebels who would take them to the base.

What was he going to do when he got there? When Anakin was younger he was sent on assassination missions, so he knew subtlety… but he had never done espionage before.

Anakin knew that there was no way he could contact the Empire once he entered the Rebel domain, at least not until he could gain the Alliance's trust.

One thing was for sure; this was going to be an interest feat.

* * *

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	17. Fake Defection

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* * *

Ben didn't like it. Something felt _wrong_.

Luke and Lando looked a little edgy as well. Han and Chewie weren't there because they had been sent on a mission.

The three sat in silence as they waited at Echo Base. Leia should be arriving on Corellia about now. Once she and her Imperial got to the Rebel contact, they would head to Echo Base.

"Who do you think the Imperial is?" Luke whispered, frost coming out of his mouth as he did so.

"I don't know." Ben replied, leaning his head against the frigid wall.

"Maybe it's someone important." Lando commented, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"He can't be _too_ high up," Ben said. "It would take a _miracle_ to convince anyone with high status. He might just be a lieutenant or something."

"Why do I feel like something's not right?" Luke moaned.

"That's the Force telling us something," Ben explained. "Something is _not_ right. I can't put my finger on it."

Luke turned his expressive deep blue eyes on Ben. "Do you think the Imperial really is on our side?"

"I can't say…" Ben groaned, running a hand through his hair. "This is such a maddening feeling."

Lando nodded. "I may not be Force-sensitive, but I can attest to that."

After that comment, the silence resumed and the tense atmosphere thickened.

* * *

"Wow, Coronet City," Anakin sighed as the two disembarked the transport. "I haven't seen this place since Senator Iblis was here."

"Yes," Leia replied, a little tense. "When he was still alive,"

Anakin offered an apologetic shrug. "Hey, I was just doing my duty. Sion was the one who executed the senator, not me."

"I hope you realize that the Rebels aren't going to be too pleased upon seeing you," Leia looked at him.

"Of course I know that," Anakin replied irritably. "But if they try to execute _me_, I'll have something to say about it."

Leia laughed. "Don't worry; I won't let them."

Anakin's hand drifted to his left leg. His lightsaber was hidden underneath the pants, being held to his leg by a strap. He hadn't carried his lightsaber on his personage since he was thirteen when he was an assassin. Those were interesting days…

_Twelve-year-old Anakin Skywalker walked silently as he followed his prey. Ahead of him was a corrupt Imperial official who had been supplying the Alliance with information about the Empire. His Master had ordered him to eliminate the problem._

_So he did._

_As the man turned a corner, Anakin jumped overhead, landing in front of him and pressed his lightsaber hilt into the man's gut, quickly activating it for an instant before turning it off once more. The man stared at him in blank shock, his mouth slightly open, before he fell to the ground. _

_Not leaving a trace, Anakin dragged the body away to be burned._

Anakin's thoughts were interrupted as Leia led him outside of the city. A couple of men up ahead walked towards them, completely ignoring them. Anakin saw right through their façade; these were the Rebel contacts.

They were good at their job. Anakin could only detect their status through the Force.

After using a few coded phrases which were absolutely meaningless to Anakin, the contacts led the two towards a spaceport, throwing occasional glances in Anakin's direction. He knew that they had recognized him as Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered to Leia.

"Relax," she whispered in return. "Just let me do the talking."

"No need to tell me twice," he rolled his eyes.

The foursome headed over to a small ship that stood waiting for them. After boarding, the preflight checks were done quickly and they soon left Corellia's atmosphere.

Anakin tried to sense what the coordinates were, but he didn't concentrate hard or fast enough to catch them as they were submitted to the computer and the ship jumped into hyperspace. Oh, well.

* * *

It had been about six hours since they had left Corellia. Anakin sat impatiently, earnestly waiting for the moment when he would lay his eyes upon the Rebel base that had eluded him for so many years.

He heard the beeping from the cockpit that signaled the exit from hyperspace. He sighed in relief. It had been a tense six hours. No one spoke, but they all just stared at each other. For six blasted hours, he'd had to put up with those disgusting Rebels.

As the blue-white streaks of hyperspace dissolved and the black ocean spotted with white reappeared, Anakin's eyes immediately caught sight of a frozen planet that looked very similar to Rhen Var.

Hoth.

* * *

Ben sensed the ship landing in the hangar. Rather than go to see who the Imperial was, however, he decided to remain where he was and wait until Leia arrived. Luke and Lando, unaware that she had returned, continued to stand in anxious silence.

The next thing that sang through the Force was pure shock, then mistrust and anger. Who _was_ the Imperial that Leia brought?

Curiosity threatened to overrule logic, but Ben fought it down. He would just wait for Leia.

* * *

"What in the _blazes_ is _he_ doing here?" a Rebel commander shouted.

"He defected!" Leia argued.

Leia had been debating with the Council for the Alliance for almost an hour now. Poor Anakin had been thrown into a cell the moment he arrived, but thankfully, her father didn't react too badly. He sure gave some wounds that wouldn't heal soon, though. Seven Rebels were in the medcenter.

"Do you honestly believe that he defected?" Mon Mothma, a friend of Leia's and the senator of Chandrila, asked sincerely.

"Yes," Leia replied.

"How can we know for sure, Princess Leia?" General Dodonna stressed.

"Because he saved my life," Leia answered. The entire room fell silent in shock.

Leia took a deep breath before explaining herself. "When I was scheduled to be executed, I couldn't find a way out of it. Grand Admiral Morlev was the one who was to assassinate me in Darth Vader's stead since the latter was and still is in the Outer Rim. When the grand admiral interrogated me, he was ruthless. I thought there was no escape.

"Yet, on the day of my execution, the grand admiral entered the cell while the stormtroopers who had been flanking the doorway lie unconscious on the ground. He said that he would not kill me, and instead he took me prisoner. He told me that this was a new development and that no one else knew. In other words, he disobeyed a direct order to eliminate me and spared me.

"Not only did he take care of me afterwards, but he let me contact _you._ He is truly a kind and sincere man. He's been corrupted by the Empire, but he's starting to see that perhaps the Empire isn't the way to go. Please, you _must_ let him out and trust him. I know this is difficult, but his trust in the Alliance is very fragile and will remain so until we can prove that we are the right side. He has more information than we could ever hope to attain from any of our contacts, I assure you."

The room remained silent for a time until Mon spoke up. "Very well, Leia. If you believe him to be sincere in his wishes to join the Alliance, then we will, of course, release him."

* * *

Anakin irritably stormed out of the detention block. Now that he knew where this base was, he would _trample_ it, particularly after _that_ stunt. Still, he had to get Leia out first. He didn't want his daughter harmed.

He could see Leia up ahead, waiting for him. Muttering curses that would make a pilot blush, Anakin brooded as he walked over to her.

"I told you I would take care of everything," Leia smiled. "But you could have avoided hurting them,"

"What? I don't like being grabbed and thrown into a cell, thank you." Anakin retorted. "Besides, it wasn't lethal; I just hit them really, _really_ hard."

Leia rolled her eyes, but she seemed happy nonetheless. "All right; just don't do that again, okay?"

"Fine," Anakin mumbled. "As long as they don't do it to me,"

Leia led him through the below-freezing corridors.

"Did you have to find a place so bloody cold?" Anakin's teeth chattered as he spoke.

"It's in the middle of nowhere and the least likely of places for the Empire to find us." Leia explained. "You didn't find it after all these years."

"How long has this base been here?" he asked, purely out of curiosity.

"About a decade," Leia replied. "Before that, we were on Dantooine."

"Where were you when I was searching seventeen years ago?"

"Dantooine, I believe."

Anakin huffed and continued on until they stopped in a small room with a single cot.

"This will be your room until further notice." Leia said.

Anakin shrugged. "Fine by me,"

Leia looked slightly concerned. "I advise you stay here until needed. Try to stay out of trouble."

Anakin gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Leia. I won't do anything…"

Leia smiled in return and then left the room, the door hissing shut behind her.

Anakin's smile turned sadistic. "…Yet."

* * *

Leia took a deep breath before entering the room in which her friends waited. Immediately, she was bombarded on all sides by arms, wrapping her in a huge hug.

After prying themselves free, Luke, Lando, and Ben smiled broadly.

"Oh, Leia, I can't believe you're actually alive!" Luke said happily. "I was so worried!"

"I've missed you!" Lando laughed.

"We were _all_ concerned," Ben's calming voice said.

Leia returned their smiles and hugged them separately. "You don't know how much I've missed you all. Being with those Imperials was more frightening than all of my years in the senate."

"Why's that?" Luke asked as they led her over to a seating area.

"I could handle corrupt politicians," Leia started off. "But the people I was with… they were actually _friendly_. I even helped a family of Imperials who were in the navy!"

"Wow, you did?" Lando piped in. "What family?"

"The father was Commander Daine Jir, and the mother was Lieutenant Leoni Nexlan Jir," Leia replied. "They have three children now. I, alongside the Imperial who has now defected, helped them prepare for their most recent addition to the family. The eldest is a ten-year-old girl named Zula Jir, then the middle child is a seven-year-old boy named Timo Jir, and the newborn is a girl named Namaru Jir."

"Well, you've been quite busy, haven't you?" Ben asked in a joking manner.

The four laughed, happy to be in each other's presence.

"Where are Han and Chewie?" Leia inquired.

"Oh, they had to go deal with some Imperial issues," Lando said casually, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "They should be back in about a week."

True to his word, Han and Chewbacca did show up in a week's time. After a happy reunion, the six sat down and finally were able to relax.

Luke walked in with a training stick and a helmet, which completely baffled Leia.

"Luke, what are you doing?" she asked, looking at her friend uncertainly.

"I'm getting ready for my training session." Luke explained excitedly. "I haven't told you, have I?"

Still confused, Leia shook her head.

"I'm Force-sensitive!" Luke said excitedly. "Ben offered to train me to be a Jedi, and so he's been doing it for about three weeks now. It's been amazing!"

Uncomfortably, Leia remembered when her father had said _she_ was Force-sensitive.

"Are you alright?" Ben asked as he entered the room.

Cursing herself for letting her guard down, Leia quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Leia watched Luke's training session, feeling oddly connected to him and Ben as they accessed the Force. Maybe her father _was_ right about her Force sensitivity.

* * *

It had been a whole month since Anakin "defected" to the Alliance.

Anakin had been more than helpful to the Rebels from his point of view. He had been giving them information that wasn't of great importance to the Empire, but was still enough to convince the Rebels that he was an asset. He had now had more than enough of his share of the Rebels. He just had to find a way to get Leia off.

He decided he would try when she visited for breakfast.

Leia entered the room with her food and sat down beside him on the cot. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, not really," he replied. "I was just wondering when we get a break. I've been stuck on this ball of frozen wasteland for a whole month now. Can't we go to Alderaan instead? You said it was beautiful to behold. I've never actually seen the capital; I've only seen the planet from space."

"You've never been to Alderaan?" Leia asked incredulously. "Wow, I have to take you there, then."

Getting hopeful, Anakin looked at his daughter. "Why don't we leave soon?"

Leia smiled and shook her head. "There's no time just yet. Maybe we could go in a few months."

_A few months?!_

There was _no way_ Anakin was going to wait _that_ long. He had to find a way to get her out of Echo Base!

The next day, Leia entered his room once more. "I thought about what you said yesterday."

"About taking a vacation to Alderaan?" Anakin prompted hopefully.

"Well, yes," Leia replied. "Mainly about getting off of this planet; I don't blame you. I want to get off too. So, I decided it's time to thaw out: we're joining a fleet that's going to capture an Imperial outpost on Nar Shaddaa. It's interfering with our communications to some contacts on the moon."

"Nar Shaddaa?" Anakin repeated. "You can't be serious."

"I am," Leia answered, sounding certain. "So pack your bags. We're leaving in two hours."

Leia gave a reassuring smile and left the room.

Anakin sat in shock. He was fine with giving some unimportant information about the Empire away, but _capturing an Imperial command post_? There was no way he was going to partake in that.

What was he going to do?

Two hours later Anakin boarded the shuttlecraft that would take him to the fleet. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

He was going to contact the Empire.

* * *

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	18. Traitor

**As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love reviews!! :D**

* * *

Darth Sion tried to calm himself as he meditated. Darth Vader had been missing for over a month. What had happened? He was on _Coruscant_ for Force's sake. Why didn't their Master sense something wrong?

_Palpatine must be getting weak in his old age_, Sion thought maliciously. He couldn't wait until he beheaded that wretch and took his throne. He still remembered what happened in the Clone Wars all too well…

_Eleven-year-old Ceddge Tran tried to comfort his best friend Lamia as she cried her heart out. She was a year older than him and had just become a Padawan when her master was killed on the battlefield._

"_Why did he have to die?" she wailed._

_Ceddge did all he could to help, but he was more concerned about his own Master. He, just like Lamia, had also recently become a Padawan learner. What would he do if he lost his Master?_

"_It's okay, Lamia," he tried to console her. "I'm sure it was the will of the Force. Just look at it this way: at least he doesn't have to deal with the war now."_

_Lamia did not seem too comforted by this, but she laughed nonetheless, wiping her tear-streaked face._

_Two months later, Ceddge stood over his Master's corpse, remembering his words, which now sounded so hollow. Oh, how he hated the Separatists!_

_His world fell apart around him as he mourned over his Master's mutilated body. A fellow Jedi rushed over with his own Padawan and tried to get Ceddge away from his Master, but Ceddge wouldn't budge. All around, blaster fire was exploding._

"_Young Padawan, we must go now!" the Jedi Knight yanked once again at Ceddge, but he wouldn't release the broken body beneath him. _

"_No! I can't leave him here all alone…" Ceddge cried._

_With the help of his Padawan, the Knight managed to pry Ceddge off of his Master and drag him off the battlefield, Ceddge screaming the whole while. _

_When he returned to Coruscant alone, he felt empty and broken. The only other person who could share his pain stood waiting on the platform in the Jedi Temple as he walked out of the ship._

_Lamia rushed over and hugged him, the two standing in silence._

_A bond that Ceddge had never before experienced could be felt between the two. It was like fire; it pierced him and burned him to the very core. He could sense that Lamia felt the same way._

_The two slowly walked back towards the Temple and then paused. Ceddge broke down crying and Lamia merely held him._

"_It's okay," she cooed. _

_The two Padawans then entered the sanctity of the Temple._

_Two months later, Lamia was dead._

_In despair, Ceddge ran away from the Temple. He had to get away…_

_While roaming the streets of Coruscant, Ceddge ran headfirst into Chancellor Palpatine himself. The man looked kindly upon the despairing Padawan._

"_Why, Padawan Tran, whatever is the matter?" he asked in a concerned tone._

"_Everyone I know and love is dead," Ceddge half-whispered, his voice choking with emotion. "I _hate_ this war."_

_The chancellor seemed to be considering something before putting a loving hand around Ceddge and leading him to his private office. _

"_My dear boy, it does seem hopeless, but you mustn't give up." Chancellor Palpatine said. "Why did you run from the Temple?"_

_Ceddge paused. "Are you going to send me back?"_

"_Of course not," the chancellor replied, offering a seat to the young Padawan._

"_I ran away because the Jedi weren't doing anything. They said "I'm sorry you're Master died" and then kept sending Jedi to meet the same fate! I'm tired of this war, I want it to _end_!"_

"_Oh, but it can," Chancellor Palpatine suddenly said. "And you can certainly help bring it about,"_

_Ceddge looked the chancellor in the eye. "I—I can?"_

_Chancellor Palpatine nodded. "Oh, yes. You see, most Jedi are blinded by their indoctrination, but you, my friend… you are still young. You still realize that the Jedi aren't doing anything. You still have the capability to notice these things and ask questions about them while other Jedi are too brainwashed to even understand. You, my friend, can help me end this war. We will destroy the old and corrupt, and bring the fresh and new into power. Wouldn't it be wonderful? _

"_Imagine, my dear boy, what the galaxy would be like. There would be no war. The old, decrepit Jedi Order would be brought down so a new Order could take its stead. It would not be a Jedi Order that would meditate on the matter and do nothing. Oh, no, Padawan Tran; this Jedi Order would _enforce_. And, amazingly enough, all this Jedi Order needs is two people: a Master and an apprentice._

"_Be my apprentice, Padawan Tran, and together, we will create a new world from the ashes of the old."_

And so he had joined Palpatine. He was dubbed Lord Darth Sion and was sent with the largest legion of clones he had ever seen to wipe out the Jedi on Coruscant while Order Sixty-Six was executed on battlefields throughout the galaxy. Sion trained under Palpatine for five years before being sent on missions.

He didn't have time to think about that now, however; Darth Vader was missing, and that took priority. He had to find him.

_Darth Sion, can you hear me?_ A familiar voice said in his mind.

Sion immediately sat up. _Darth Vader? Is that really you?_

_Of course it is, Sion,_ the voice replied. _You have to help me out. I'm being held captive by the Rebels._

_What? Why didn't you just kill them?_

_I didn't kill them because I wanted to discover where their base was. You won't believe this, my friend: It's on Hoth._

_Hoth?_ Darth Sion replied incredulously. _Ha! No wonder we couldn't find it!_

_I know…_ Vader muttered. _The force I'm stuck with right now is heading towards Nar Shaddaa. They plan on taking out the outpost that's there. They claim that it's interfering with their contacts._

_I'm on my way, Lord Vader,_ Sion said immediately. _Don't worry; I'll get you out of that Rebel scum soon enough._

_Good. I can't wait to get out of here._

Sion felt Vader cut the connection and breathed a sigh of relief; Vader was alive and well, which was good news. Now all he had to do was get his fleet together and go to Nar Shaddaa. If the Rebels were just planning on capturing an outpost, their forces would be nothing in comparison to Death Squadron.

* * *

Anakin leaned back on his chair after cutting the connection with Sion. He didn't care if Leia was still there; after all, she had suggested he come along anyway. All he had to do was just make sure she didn't get killed.

Now he would finally be free! The Empire knew where the Rebel base was and they were coming to get Anakin out so he could lead Killer Squadron to eliminate it. Oh, what a great triumph that would be!

Two hours passed and the fleet finally exited hyperspace. Anakin and Leia entered shuttlecraft and were taken down to the moon. Anakin hoped Sion would get there _before_ they reached the outpost.

Thankfully, Sion showed up on time. Death Squadron appeared in the skies, completely outnumbering the Rebel fleet and dominating the battlefield. _Lambda_-class shuttlecraft began landing and Imperial stormtroopers rushed out, firing upon the Rebel soldiers.

Anakin grabbed Leia's wrist and took cover.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leia bellowed. "We have to help them!"

"No sense in getting yourself killed!" Anakin shouted back. "Use your head, Leia! If Death Squadron is here, then this battle is lost!"

Leia looked like she was about to argue, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the distinct _suck-hiss_ of Darth Sion's breathing apparatus.

Anakin sensed Sion approaching the battlefield and heard his lightsaber come to life, slashing the Rebels.

Leaving Leia behind, Anakin rushed out into the battlefield and Sion caught sight of him. Anakin sensed the other man's relief at finding him, but it quickly flooded out and was replaced by anger and hatred.

Confused, Anakin looked over and saw Leia peeking out.

"Oh, no," he muttered, realizing what just happened.

"You didn't kill her?" Sion's bass voice growled. "You didn't kill her! You betrayed the Empire!"

Anakin stared in blank shock for an instant before he was suddenly filled with rage. How dare Sion accuse him of such a thing?

Sion strode forward, heading towards Leia. "Let me teach you a lesson, Vader._ This_ is how you execute someone."

Alarm bells went off in Anakin's head as he immediately used the Force to summon his lightsaber from its strap to his hand. Activating it, a blood red blade came to life as Anakin rushed towards Sion in defense of his daughter.

Although Sion was angered, he didn't expect this move. In fact, it caught him so off guard, he froze in mid step.

Anakin used the Force to increase his speed, hatred burning from his now red and yellow eyes. "Don't you _touch_ her,"

Leia gasped and backed off. Sion raised his blade just in time to meet Anakin's lunge. Immediately after Sion's blade clashed with Anakin's, Anakin jumped back and pushed himself to the right with his left leg, landing on his right leg and leaning all his weight on it, just dodging Sion's counterattack.

Sion's red blade simmered centimeters away from Anakin's face. Using his momentum, Anakin pushed back on his right leg and rolled underneath Sion's blade, pushing his blade straight forward in a lunge once again, down on his knees. Sion backed away from the attack and Anakin got back on his feet, leaping over the bulkier Sith Lord's head.

Darth Sion barely had enough time to turn as Anakin ferociously brought his red blade down to slice the Sith in half. Even though Sion was bulky and slow, he made up for it in pure physical strength. His blade easily held off Anakin's aerial assault.

Anakin landed lightly and then jumped forward, kicking Sion directly on the chest plate that controlled his respirator. Sion gasped, collapsing on the floor as Anakin landed. Flipping his grip in reverse, Anakin held the blade pointed down to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, Leia screamed out in pain. Looking up, Anakin saw her collapse, smoke coming from a blaster wound on her left shoulder. He looked down at Sion, who was pitifully lying on the ground, watching to see what Anakin would do next. He could end it here, but that would probably waste too much time.

Anakin deactivated his blade and rushed over to Leia, helping her sit up and examining the wound. Leia winced.

As he started treating the wound, more explosions started appearing overhead. Obviously the Rebels had called for reinforcements.

Knowing that he was outnumbered, Sion shakily stood up and faced Anakin. The two Sith Lords glared at each other in pure loathing. Years of friendship vanished in an instant.

Grabbing his blade, Sion activated it and cut off his own pointer finger… the same finger that held the ring Anakin had given him all those years ago. He then rushed off in retreat with his troops. Likewise, Anakin grabbed a vibroknife and slashed his own hand, sucking on the blood before spitting out. Both had just made a blood promise to get revenge.

Anakin averted his gaze from Death Squadron's flagship and avoided watching the Star Destroyers. He was now an enemy of the Galactic Empire.

* * *

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	19. Sith and Jedi, Father and Son

**Yes! A quick update, ladies and gents! Enjoy!**

* * *

Leia sat in the briefing room of the _Liberty_, the flagship of their reinforcements. Many Rebels were yelling at once until Admiral Ackbar, a Mon Calamari, held his hand up for silence.

"I'm telling you, it was Morlev!" a Rebel shouted. "He ratted us out!"

"We don't know that for sure!" another Rebel yelled back.

"Where did he get that lightsaber from?" a third Rebel asked, causing the room to fall silent.

"He's obviously hiding something from us." General Dodonna stated. "But I don't think he revealed our presence to the Empire, otherwise he wouldn't have been defending Princess Leia from Darth Vader."

"He _is_ Darth Vader," Leia interrupted.

Everyone gaped at her.

"That's impossible!" Admiral Ackbar exclaimed.

Leia shook her head. "No, it's true. He told me on Coruscant."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" General Dodonna demanded.

"I didn't know what to think of it, to tell the truth," Leia replied. "I also knew that if I told you, he would've been in that cell for the rest of his very short life."

"But… but how could he be Darth Vader?" the Rebel who had been defending him earlier asked. "Wasn't he _dueling_ Darth Vader?"

"No," Leia sighed. "He said that there are two Sith Lords under Emperor Palpatine."

"What's a Sith Lord?" a Rebel asked.

"The antithesis of a Jedi, to summarize," Leia answered. "Emperor Palpatine has two of them as his apprentices."

"I always thought Palpatine was a demon," a Rebel laughed. "Now I know he really is!"

"It's not that funny, though," Leia explained. "He's probably more powerful than Vader and the other, since he's their master."

"Wait, who's who?" General Dodonna asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Leia took a deep breath, holding her wound gingerly. "Palpatine is the master. Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev is Darth Vader, and the one we know as Darth Vader is actually Darth Sion."

"Why?" Admiral Ackbar asked, looking just as confused as Dodonna.

"I was told that it was because Vader is more powerful than Sion." Leia replied to the best of her ability. "Sion is the puppet of the two. He goes out and does Palpatine's dirty work because he's expendable. Vader is far more powerful than Sion.

"Sion carries Vader's title so when Vader took his place, people would already listen and respect him. Vader, in the meantime, went around as Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev so he could be out in the field but not as often and not in as much danger as Sion. I know it sounds confusing, but that's the story."

"So since Vader's stronger, he's also more important to Palpatine," General Dodonna surmised. "This is why Palpatine keeps him on Coruscant so often,"

"Exactly," Leia nodded. "I seriously doubt that he would've contacted the Empire. When Sion discovered that Vader didn't kill me, he was enraged. He tried to kill me and Vader _defended _me. Why would he reveal us if he was going to be accused too? It doesn't add up; Vader didn't do it."

The group took the information in, remaining silent the whole while. Leia held her breath as they came to their decision.

"Very well," Admiral Ackbar sat back down in his seat. "Obviously it couldn't have been Darth Vader. So the question remains; how did they know we were here?"

"They actually didn't arrive until after we had landed," General Dodonna mulled it over. "Perhaps they were notified by the outpost because they were in the area?"

"It's the only thing I can think of," Leia replied.

The members of the briefing stood up in accordance before leaving the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Anakin sat in the quarters provided to him, his face in his hands, one of which had a badly infected cut from the vibroknife.

He was an enemy to the Empire now. What was he going to do? He loved the Empire! Why couldn't he just go home to Coruscant?

He _hated_ Sion for doing this to him! Because of that worthless lump of machine and man, he was now stuck with his mortal enemies and was an enemy to his own _family_. Oh, he would get his revenge, and after Sion was dead, Anakin would kill Palpatine next. That way he could return to the Empire that he loved.

But then what? He never wanted to be Emperor… at least not really. The idea of being in control of the entire galaxy was very tempting and enjoyable, but it meant so much _politics_. Of course, if he disbanded the senate, that would alleviate the problem. If he became emperor, his daughter would be the heir…

Anakin shook his head. He couldn't think of this if he was an enemy to the Empire he loved. Was he really a Rebel now?

Anakin looked at his actions over the past two months: attacking and almost killing Darth Sion, betraying secrets that, although they weren't important, were still _secrets_, disobeying a direct order from Palpatine and Sion to execute a traitor, and _harboring_ that traitor. He might as well be a Rebel with that track record.

Moaning, Anakin looked out the window, even though there was nothing to see. They were in hyperspace, so the windows were opaque. If one stared at hyperspace too long, it would start messing with their head, so it was common protocol to tint the windows while in hyperspace. The only time one could see the amazing tunnel was directly after entering and just before exiting.

He felt terrible. Why did his life have to be so messed up?!

The door to his quarters opened up to reveal Leia.

Anakin slowly looked in her direction. "So what, am I going to be thrown into a cell now?"

"No," Leia replied, entering the room. "I managed to convince the otherwise, but I had to tell them your true identity to do so."

"They know I'm a Sith Lord?" Anakin stood up. "I might as well be executed!"

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked.

"Don't you know they have a Jedi on their side?" Anakin rolled his eyes and waved his hands in the air for emphasis. "Jedi and Sith don't mix, just to let you know."

Leia quickly took notice of his injured hand. "What happened?"

"What?" Bewildered, Anakin looked at his hand. "Oh, just a vibroknife wound."

"It looks infected," Leia grabbed his wrist. "Come on; let's get someone to look at it."

Sighing, Anakin obliged her and went to the medcenter on the ship. As the medical droid cleaned the wound out, Leia looked intently into Anakin's eyes.

"Tell me the truth," she said seriously. "Did you tell the Empire about the mission?"

Anakin looked into her eyes for the longest time, debating whether he should answer her or not. The longer he looked into her eyes, the more he realized they looked like Padmé's eyes. Finally, he had to look away, saying nothing.

Leia waited for the longest time, but Anakin never said a word. He couldn't lie, but he wasn't ready to tell the truth. He didn't know if he ever would be.

There was one thing he did know, however: Sion represented the Galactic Empire. If Sion betrayed him, the Empire did as well.

Anakin squeezed his injured hand, causing it to bleed. The medical droid quickly tended to it as Leia shot him an alarmed look.

He would get his revenge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ben paced the room anxiously as he waited for Leia's return. He, Lando, Luke, Han, and Chewie had heard about the incident on Nar Shaddaa from the week before and wanted to make sure she was alright.

The door opened and Leia walked in with someone behind her.

They had all heard about the Imperial and his identity; he was Grand Admiral Nydo Morlev. There were rumors going around that he was someone else as well, but they were just rumors; no one had confirmed them.

Until now.

The moment Morlev entered the room Ben knew that he was the Sith Lord that had pursued them on Corellia two years before. Morlev obviously recognized him too: he used the Force to summon his lightsaber to his hand, Ben retaliating likewise.

Shocked and panicked, their friends rushed to stop them, with Leia grabbing Morlev and the others grabbing Ben.

"Ben, what are you _doing_?" Han grunted as they desperately tried to get him away from the Sith Lord.

"Stop it, Morlev!" Leia shouted as she dragged the Sith away.

"That's the Sith Lord," Ben panted, pulling away from the others.

Morlev got out of Leia's grip and charge towards him and he met his slash. Ben Force pushed Morlev, but he quickly recovered, landing on his toes and sprinting forward at full speed. The others backed off as their lightsabers started flying, thrusting, parrying, lunging, and slashing.

Ben groaned in pain as the Sith Lord's blade got him on his left shin.

In this brief pause, Luke and Leia shot towards the Jedi and Sith, respectively. Leia grabbed Morlev while Luke pulled Ben away.

"Stop it, Vader," Leia whispered, but her panting didn't allow for her to speak too quietly; the other occupants in the room heard.

"Darth Vader?" Han repeated. "You can't be serious. Do you mean those rumors about him being the real Darth Vader are actually true?"

"Yes," Leia panted, trying to keep hold of the fidgety Sith Lord.

Ben held his shin in pain. "You're the one who chased me and Luke?"

Vader seemed to pause, staring at Luke for the longest time. "You're Force sensitive."

Luke paled. "How did you know?"

"It's easy to sense, boy," Vader growled.

"Cut it out, will you?" Leia shook the man.

Vader looked away from the group, catching his breath.

"And he's on _our_ side?" Lando whispered to the others. Chewie shrugged in return.

Eventually, Ben and Vader settled down, but not without having a glaring match first. Ben regained his composure first, however, and stood back up, gritting his teeth against the pain of his wound.

"You need to get someone to look at that," Lando said, sounding worried.

Han, Chewbacca, Luke, and Lando assisted Ben while Leia whispered to Vader, most likely to calm him down.

"I'll be with you guys in a minute," she called after them before the door closed.

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"What in the blazes was _that_?" she glared daggers at her father.

"He's a Jedi!" he hissed in return.

"What is your point?"

Her father paused, almost as if he expected everyone in the galaxy to know his meaning. "Well, Jedi and Sith don't like each other. We're sworn enemies!"

"Yeah, well, you're both Rebels, so you'll have to _toughen up and live with it_ as you told me two months ago," Leia responded irritably. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on my _Jedi_ friend that you injured."

Leia stood up and stormed out of the room, leaving her father behind. He could be really frustrating at times!

Leia made her way to the medcenter and entered just as Ben was getting his wound patched up.

"Do you mind explaining how you even came to know him without either of you trying to kill each other?" Han asked.

"He's my father," Leia said simply.

This brought a silent response, although with everyone gaping like a fish, Leia found it rather amusing.

"He's your _what_?" Ben exclaimed.

Luke shook his head. "How can that even be possible? You can't be the daughter of a Sith Lord! Leia, I've heard really nasty things about the Sith!"

"Luke, he _is_ my father," Leia replied. "I can feel it. I got my Force sensitivity from him."

"_You're_ Force-sensitive as well?" Luke asked incredulously.

Leia nodded. "Yep, just like you,"

"That's an odd coincidence," Han folded his arms. "Everyone's turning Force-sensitive all of a sudden. What is this, a disease?"

"It would be if _you_ became Force sensitive,"

As amusing as the comment was, it came from a voice that nobody trusted just yet. Leia's father entered the medcenter, looking a little irritated.

He looked down at Ben who was sitting on a cot. "Sorry about the shin."

Ben blinked for a few moments before responding. "Um, it's alright,"

Her father nodded and then turned to leave.

"Wait!" Leia called back. "We need to check your hand again."

Sighing, he paused and turned around holding out his left hand. Curiously, her friends leaned forward, taking a look.

Han hissed through his teeth when he saw the wound. "Yuck. Where did you get _that_?"

"Vibroknife," he replied evenly.

"Ouch," Lando winced as he examined the wound. "It looks infected."

"That's because it _is_ infected."

The medical droid sat her father down on the cot beside Ben and Leia sighed. This was going to be a long day.

It didn't turn out to be too long, however. Her father had rings under his bloodshot eyes, causing Ben to call for a doctor to examine him. The doctor said that Vader was suffering from severe exhaustion and stress and promptly gave him a sedative, saying that he would have to spend the night in the medcenter.

Leia stayed with him, and the others remained as well, Luke and Ben at her side.

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Anakin's eyes fluttered as the embrace of sleep began to seep away. He wished he could just lie there, half awake and half asleep, for the rest of eternity, but that was impossible. A few moments later, lights pierced through his eyelids and he moaned, moving an almost impossibly heavy hand to his face.

"How are you feeling?"

Anakin opened his eyes and looked into his daughter's chocolate brown eyes. "Tired,"

Behind her, Anakin saw her friends, Commander Han Solo, Commander Chewbacca, Lieutenant Lando Calrissian, and Ensign Luke… what was his last name again?

Mentally shrugging it off, Anakin closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them once more. "How long was I out?"

"About twenty hours," Leia replied.

Anakin rolled his eyes slowly. "Great,"

"The doctor said you needed it," the Jedi said from the cot beside him.

"I still can't believe you're Leia's father," Commander Solo muttered.

Anakin's eyes darted over to Leia accusingly. "How many secrets are you going to let out before you're satisfied?"

"They're my friends," Leia argued. "They have a right to know."

"Humph," was all Anakin had to say in return.

Shockingly enough, the Jedi giggled.

Ensign Luke's eyes seemed to drift off however. "I wish I knew who my father was."

Anakin looked over at him. "What did he die or something?"

"I don't know," Luke responded. "I grew up with the Darklighter family. I don't know if I'm actually related to them or not… but I called Jula Darklighter my uncle and Silya Darklighter my aunt. I have three cousins: Rasca Darklighter, Gavin Darklighter, and Anya Darklighter."

"Why don't you tell us all about them," the Jedi prompted. "We haven't heard this story before."

Luke sat down on the cot beside the Jedi. "Well, let's see, what is there to tell? My parents are moisture farmers as I mentioned a while back, but… uh… oh, I know! I'll tell you about some of my adventures with the Darklighter family.

"Gavin and Rasca were the best cousins I could ever ask for. Rasca is now a mechanic for the Alliance and Gavin is a pilot in Rouge Squadron, just like me. We used to go out and race on skyhoppers out in Beggar's Canyon. It would drive my aunt and uncle nuts; they would always freak out and think we got ourselves killed or something.

"Anya was a little calmer. She preferred the life of a moisture farmer anyway. She was probably my aunt and uncle's favorite just because she was the easiest to handle!"

Luke laughed a little before continuing. "Anyway, um, so I grew up with the Darklighter family and whenever I asked about my own family, they said, and probably truthfully, that they never knew my parents. I coped with it as best I could; besides, I still had a loving family that treated me as their own son or brother, so I have nothing to complain about there. When I turned eighteen a week before Gavin, the two of us asked if we could enlist in the Rebel Alliance.

"Initially only Gavin was allowed to go… I still don't know why to this day, considering I was actually _older_ than him, even if it was by a week. But anyway, I threatened to run away with Gavin, so they gave me their blessing.

"Rasca joined half a year later after making sure that the family had enough hands to help around the farm. So here we are: the Darklighter family. I guess you could say my full name is Luke Skywalker Darklighter."

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**Please review!**


	20. Imperial Attack

**Okay, I got so excited by everyone's great reviews that I updated again! *warning this is a short chapter though* If I get enough reviews, there might be another quick update! :-D Enjoy!**

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Anakin bolted up. "What did you just say?"

"I said that my name is Luke Skywalker Darklighter—"

"Luke _Skywalker_?" Anakin exclaimed. "That's not _possible_…"

The Jedi known as Ben also bolted upright. "What's wrong with that name?"

"I _know_ that surname…" Anakin replied.

"How do you know it?" Ben inquired further.

"It's _my_ surname!" Anakin yelled, fed up with everyone interrogating him.

"Wh—what?" Luke stuttered, hopping off of the cot.

Anakin looked over at Leia. "I didn't tell you my real name. It's Anakin Skywalker."

"Anakin Skywalker?" Leia repeated. "But… what about Darth Vader?"

"When one becomes a Sith Lord, he is given a Sith title," Anakin explained. "Mine is Darth Vader. Palpatine's Sith title is Darth Sidious, and Darth Sion's name is Ceddge!"

"So… so, you're telling me that you… you and Luke have the same _surname_?" Han gulped. "Don't tell me you two are related as well!"

Anakin reached into the Force just as he had for Leia…

…And just like when he used the Force on Leia, he sensed it here too: echoes of him and Padmé… and Leia! So _that_ was the third person he had sensed on her… they were twins!

"Force…" he muttered. "She… we… twins…"

"Twins?!" Han, Lando, Chewie, and Ben exclaimed.

"My wife," Anakin explained in as much a coherent way as he could. "Padmé Amidala… she was pregnant with twins when she vanished. She gave birth and then was killed in a skirmish on Naboo."

"How in the blazes could you not know you had twins?!" Han bellowed.

Anakin felt threatened, so he immediately hopped off of the cot and got defensive, seizing Commander Solo by the throat. "I didn't know because my wife _vanished_ before she even gave birth! If you continue with this, you won't live long enough to even _consider_ having a wife!"

"Stop," Ben said calmly, which, oddly enough, penetrated Anakin more than Leia's shouting from the day before.

Anakin immediately dropped Solo and backed off.

"You're… you're my father?" Luke asked softly.

Anakin looked him in the eye. "Yes, I guess I am."

Anakin expected an outburst from Luke similar to Leia's when she first found out, but instead, he got a hug tight enough to challenge Sion's famous Force choking maneuver.

"I don't believe it!" Luke shouted excitedly. "I have a father! I actually have a _father_!"

After Luke finally let poor Anakin go, he and Leia assisted their father back to his cot.

"That means we're brother and sister," Luke smiled and hugged Leia.

Leia was caught off guard but certainly not uncomfortable. "I guess we always kind of looked at each other as brother and sister didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did!" Luke laughed.

Luke and Leia let go of each other and Anakin stared at them.

Han walked over and looked at Anakin's face and then at Luke's before whistling. "Wow, you two have the same exact eyes, you know that?"

"We do?" Luke asked excitedly.

Anakin blinked, looking at his son. "Force, you're so… _young_."

Everyone regarded the Sith Lord. "What?"

"Well, I mean…" Anakin stuttered. "You're just so… I don't know—you get excited really easily—Leia's your age and she doesn't go this crazy…"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Leia asked accusingly.

Anakin shrugged. "It's just an observation,"

"Well wouldn't you be happy to find out about your own father?" Luke asked. "I mean, who is your father anyway? Do you have any siblings? What's the Skywalker line like?"

Anakin held his hands in the air. "Easy, easy, just slow down…"

Luke grabbed Anakin and pulled him into another tight hug. "I'm just so glad I finally know where I come from! You don't know what it's like constantly thinking about your origins when you don't know a thing about them…"

"If you only knew, boy…" Anakin muttered softly so no one heard him.

Luke pulled away after a few minutes and began to laugh once again. Then Luke's laughter faded off as a thought obviously occurred to him. He turned to face Ben.

"Why did you freak out when he heard my name, Ben?"

Ben swallowed. "I know that surname as well."

Luke and Leia dropped their jaws while Anakin's, Lando's, Han's, and Chewie's brows furrowed in utter bewilderment.

"I'm not quite sure it's the same name, however," Ben hastily added.

"How do _you_ know it?" Anakin asked.

Ben sighed. "It was a name I heard a long, long time ago. I was a youngling… it was someone I knew…"

Ben looked like he was about to divulge further when suddenly, the base shook violently, some rocks and ice falling from the ceiling.

"What was _that_?" Lando asked as he and Han struggled to remain standing while Chewbacca, Luke, and Leia grabbed each other for support. Anakin and Ben were less fortunate; they toppled to the floor immediately.

Anakin moaned and sat up, sensing a _very_ familiar presence.

Sion was back, and he was not happy.

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**Haha, another cliffie! Please review!**


	21. The Death of a Sith Lord

**I updated quickly so I wouldn't drive anyone insane with my constant cliffhangers. Sorry about those! Enjoy the chapter!**

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Smoke and loose snow billowed around the surface of Hoth as the Rebels rushed around to evacuate the base.

"How did they find us?" Luke shouted over the din.

"Me…" Anakin replied loud enough for them to hear.

"You?" Han hissed. "You _did_ rat us out!"

Anakin shook his head.

"They probably sensed him!" Ben explained over the noise. "He's pretty easy to find once you get a hold of his Force signature!"

A thought occurred to Anakin as he realized how he could help in a way that he would definitely find enjoyable. A very cruel smile came to his lips. "I think I know how I can make up for it though,"

Ben looked concerned but Anakin ran off before he could talk about it.

Anakin went into the Force and felt out for Sion's Force signature. He had gone onto the planet's surface and was leading the troop assault.

Up ahead, Anakin saw AT-ATs slowly making their way to the Rebel base. They were aiming for the shield generator that protected the base from spatial bombardment.

The Rebel's ion cannon seemed to be doing a good job. It had taken out two Star Destroyers, but judging by the size of the fleet that Sion had put together, it did absolutely nothing to help.

There was no way the Rebels could win this battle. They would have to flee.

Anakin didn't care.

Sion came into view as Anakin came to the top of a small hill of snow and ice. Sion caught sight of him and immediately activated his lightsaber, which cast a red glow on his black armor, making him look demonic.

Anakin grabbed his own lightsaber and activated it, wincing only slightly at the cold rigid touch it provided for his wounded hand.

Rushing forward, Anakin blotted out all other noise so he could focus entirely on dueling Sion.

Sion held his lightsaber out to impale Anakin as he charge forward, but Anakin flipped to the side just as Sion thrust his saber forward.

Anakin brought his lightsaber down to slice Sion at the wrists, but Sion quickly deflected it with a horizontal parry. He swept his lightsaber for Anakin's throat, but Anakin bent backwards, using the Force to keep his balance as his back went parallel with the snow.

Sion brought his blade back close to him for a defensive posture. Anakin leapt overhead planning on thrusting his saber into the elder Sith Lord's head, but had to twist in midair as Sion's blade went straight up to burn through his spine.

Instead of landing behind Sion, Anakin landed to his left, but he quickly recovered, bringing his lightsaber down in a diagonal slash. Sion barely met his attack, and Anakin planted his feet firmly into the ground, starting to throw slash after strike with pinpoint accuracy and mind-blowing speed.

At first, Sion could parry most of them and had to side-step the rest, but Anakin soon gained the upper hand, giving into his rage and fury.

This was his specialty. He would store up his fury for duels like these and then let it out bit by bit, using it as fuel, making him more powerful with every step, faster with every twirl, and more accurate with every parry.

Just as Sion caught him in a lightsaber lock, Anakin sidestepped and allowed Sion's weight to bring him down to the ground. Anakin brought his blade up into the air and then thrust it into Sion's back, listening as his prey's breathing ceased.

His fury suddenly dissipated. What had he done?

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and backed away from the corpse. Sion had always been a brother to him… _what had he done?_

That same red haze that always came when Anakin's emotions went out of control returned, and Anakin, in a fit of rage and despair, activated his lightsaber once more and impaled the nearest stormtrooper.

More Imperials came in waves, but once they reached Anakin, none passed. Even a mighty Imperial walker fell to his blade.

Off in the distance, Ben rushed over and noticed with dismay what Anakin was doing. "Luke! Leia! Get over here!"

Luke and Leia heard his call and rushed over. Seeing Sion's corpse, they froze, but Ben motioned ahead where a blood red blade could be seen tearing down the Imperial troops.

"Help me get to him," Ben told them before running ahead.

The Skywalker twins barely had any time to consider what he said before having to stumble over the snow and ice reach him.

As they reached Anakin, he was just finishing off the stormtroopers in the area.

Ben walked up to him slowly, holding his hands out towards him. "It's okay, Vader… it's okay, Anakin."

Slowly, very slowly, Anakin lowered his blade before finally deactivating it. Anakin collapsed on the ground in despair, staring blankly ahead.

Ben, Luke, and Leia ran over and helped him up. Ben assisted him as they returned to the base and hopped on the last shuttle out: the _Millennium Falcon_.

"How do you suggest we get past that fleet?" Ben asked Han in the cockpit.

"I'll tell you when we get there!" Han shouted back as he got the ship ready to fly.

"I certainly hope this piece of junk works!" Luke shouted from the lounge.

A string of curses came from Han, causing them all to laugh, except for Anakin.

Anakin sat slumped in the corner, still staring blankly into space.

The others exchanged bewildered or worried looks. Ben walked over hesitantly.

"Anakin what happened?" he asked.

"I… I—I killed him…" he muttered. "We've known each other for… thirty-four years… and I killed him…"

Lando winced. "That's not good,"

Luke and Leia looked at each other before slowly walking over to Ben and Anakin. "Is there any way we can help?"

Ben nodded. "Tell Han to take us to some place calm and safe, away from the Empire and the Alliance. He can't return to the war in this state."

Leia paused, considering their options before rushing off to the cockpit.

She soon returned and sat on the floor beside Ben, Luke, and Anakin. "We're going to Alderaan."

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Daine and Leoni stared incredulously at the HoloNet screen as the news of Darth Vader's death was being reported over and over again.

It wasn't possible! How could Darth Vader, _the Darth Vader_, get killed? On top of that was Breifin's disappearance, which trouble Leoni greatly.

"What is happening to the Empire?" Leonie whispered, clutching Daine tightly.

Daine offered a loving arm, but could do nothing else, for he was just in as much shock as she.

In the playroom, Zula and Timo watched the HoloNet screen in hopes of finding out where Uncle Nydo went while Namaru giggled in her crib.

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**Not very long, but I think it's adequate. If I get a lot of reviews, I might update soon... hahaha!**


	22. The Skywalker Line

**Here's the much-awaited chapter! Enjoy!**

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It had been two hours since they had arrived in Alderaan. Leia had contacted Bail Organa and they were currently staying in the palace, but Bail and Breha had been too busy to see them just yet.

In the meantime, tending to Anakin was the toughest challenge any of them had faced yet. He wouldn't eat, sleep, or talk. Nothing would get him to spend time with them either.

"What are we going to do about him?" Leia asked desperately.

Ben shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you, Leia. We just have to wait until he is ready for us."

Bail entered the room, looking tired but relieved nonetheless. "I assume you were actually on the battlefield where Lord Vader was struck down?"

Tired of constantly explaining the "Darth Vader/Darth Sion issue", the Rebels merely nodded. They would save that conversation for later.

"Father," Leia addressed him. "Tell me; who were my parents and what were they like?"

Bail gave her a funny look. "Odd that you should bring this up now, Leia,"

"The sick man who is with us is known as Nydo Morlev, but is actually named Anakin Skywalker," Leia replied. "And this is Luke Skywalker,"

All the color in Bail's face left in an instant.

"Tell me," Leia said.

Bail sighed, rubbing his face with his hand before sitting down. "I was planning on telling you this when you were a little older, Leia, but I should have known you would've figured it out on your own eventually.

"Your mother, Padmé Amidala Skywalker, was a colleague and friend of mine from the senate. We had similar views of the Empire, which you know as I have passed them onto you, Leia. When Padmé learned of her husband's actions on Kashyyyk, she feared that he was turning into the very thing she was against even though he had seemed so different in the beginning.

"Padmé did it for you, Leia, and you, Luke. She fled here, to Aldera. I let her stay in the palace. She gave birth to you two here, but she was concerned that if she was found, Anakin would raise you two to become Imperial monsters like the rest of the lot.

"I offered to take you in, Leia, and raise you as my own. Padmé was quite upset at having to part with you two, but she knew she had to.

"You, Luke, I sent to my Rebel contacts on Tatooine: the Darklighter family. I had hoped that Tatooine was too far out to attract any Imperial attention. I merely told the Darklighter family that you were not to get involved with the Empire.

"Padmé visited you two frequently when you were newborns, but five months after giving birth to you, she went to assist the Rebels on Naboo and was killed in the battle."

Bail shook his head and looked up at Luke and Leia, who stared at him in blank shock in return.

"So… he really _is_ our father?" Luke asked. "And we really _are_ related?"

Bail nodded. "Yes,"

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The conversation with Bail Organa had taken place four hours ago. It was now after dinner. The city lights of Aldera glowed dimly, giving a gentle feeling rather than the harsh brightness in Coruscant. The breeze from the cliff side played with their faces as they sat on the balcony.

Luke and Leia sat on a bench swing, leaning their heads on each other as their eyes drooped slightly. Ben sat on a bench by the edge of the balcony, beside Anakin. Han and Chewie stood, leaning against the wall that led indoors while Lando was slumped on the floor, leaning his face on a fist.

"Ben," Luke mumbled. "You never got to explain how you knew our surname."

Ben looked around the balcony at all of the faces. He supposed he might as well tell the whole truth now.

"My name isn't Ben," he replied.

Everyone's eyes opened wide at that statement, including Anakin's. He had their full attention now.

"Ben is merely a nickname from my childhood," Ben explained. "My full name is Obi-Wan Skywalker Kenobi."

"_What?"_ Anakin exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"You heard me," Obi-Wan said as he gently helped Anakin to sit down once more. "I was born to a nobleman named Thrak Kenobi. He was married to a former slave named Shmi Skywalker. I was their only child.

"Thrak couldn't afford to… buy Shmi originally, so he did it in small payments to the Hutts. Well, the payments grew every month, and even though Shmi was freed when they married, my father couldn't pay all of the debts off in time. You already know _that_ story: bounty hunters came and killed my parents.

"You also know that a Jedi who had lived on the estate raised me since then and trained me to be a Jedi. His named was Qui-Gon Jinn. He was rather old; he had even fought in the Clone Wars.

"I don't know if my surname is in relation to yours… I don't see how it could be, considering my parents died without having any other children, and you, Anakin, are younger than I. Perhaps my mother had a sister or a brother… but I don't know that."

Anakin gazed at him intently. "What did she look like?"

Obi-Wan blinked. "My mother?"

"Yes,"

"Well… she had black hair and brown eyes. Slightly tanned skin… a very sweet disposition; my mother was always caring and helpful."

Anakin gulped. "I have memories of my mother. I can barely get an image, though… I think she had black hair. I was born a slave… maybe she was a sibling to your mother."

"Why don't we look it up in the records?" Lando suggested.

"Would there even be a record?" Anakin asked.

Han nodded. "There should be. We could look up Shmi Skywalker and Thrak Kenobi and see what we get."

The group headed inside to a console where Han quickly brought up the information needed. Shmi Skywalker barely had a record; the only legitimate file was her marriage certificate to Thrak Kenobi.

"You're not even mentioned," Luke said, talking to Obi-Wan.

"That's not surprising," Obi-Wan replied. "My Master and I pretty much wiped my existence off the face of the galaxy when my parents were killed."

"I still don't see how we're going to find a connection," Anakin said, his voice a little distant. "You say your mother died."

"She did,"

"And I'm younger than you,"

"Yes,"

Anakin paused and then suddenly focused his eyes on Obi-Wan. They once again had their cold, hard intensity that they used to have; for a moment he was his old self again. "Then how in the blazes is this going to accomplish anything?!"

"Wait, I found something!" Han interrupted. "Yeah, here it says… _Skywalker, Anakin_?!"

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

"It's got your name right below Shmi's," Han explained, talking to Anakin. "The two of you were sold off at the same slave auction and you were being transported somewhere on a slave ship."

"What was the date?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Uh… 15 ADNO*," Han read the file.

"I was two…" Anakin muttered.

"Do you even remember anything when you're two?" Lando asked.

"Vaguely…" Anakin answered. "Um, I remember being torn away from someone… then I remember the spice mines of Kessel…"

"Wait—you were on _Kessel_?" Han interrupted.

"Yeah,"

"Good Force, it's a miracle you survived," Obi-Wan said.

"Wait…" Luke cut in. "If his name is with Shmi Skywalker's then… and he was two… this was in 15 ADNO you said?"

"Yeah," Han replied, nodding.

"How old are you, Ben?" Luke asked Obi-Wan.

"I'm fifty-two,"

"How old are you, Father?"

"I'm thirty-nine,"

"So you would've been born a year after his mother was supposedly killed?" Lando guessed. "Yet Shmi's name is here in 15 ADNO…"

"Great…" Anakin laughed halfheartedly. "I've been having quite a few surprises over the past two months: A daughter, a son, and now a… a…"

Anakin paused, obviously having the memory of Sion resurface. Obi-Wan offered a comforting hug.

"…A brother," Obi-Wan finished for him.

Luke and Leia joined in the hug and Han, Lando, and Chewie watched.

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***In the canon universe, the dating system is BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) and ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). Since there is no "Battle of Yavin" in this AU, the dating system is ADNO (After the Declaration of a New Order) and BDNO (Before the Declaration of a New Order).**

**Please PLEASE review!!!  
**


	23. All in a Day's Work

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews!! **

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"Come on, let's go!"

Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luke, and Leia Skywalker all rushed onto the platform with Bail and Breha Organa waiving good-bye as Han frantically waved them over.

Just as they were about to board the _Millennium Falcon_, Bail ran forward.

"Wait!" he shouted.

They all paused, watching him as he ran up.

"I have someone to accompany you," he panted. "So you can always remember Alderaan."

Off in the distance, they heard frantic chattering as a golden protocol droid made its way out to the landing platform. "Oh, wait, please wait!"

"Threepio?" Leia asked her foster father.

Bail smiled. "Just a reminder,"

Leia hugged Bail as the protocol droid called C-3PO rushed forward, complaining about something.

Bail then faced Anakin. "And a friend wanted to join you."

Anakin gave him a quizzical look before hearing the beeps and tootles of R2-D2. "Artoo!"

The blue and white astromech droid rolled onto the platform, saying something to Threepio while rolling by. Threepio sputtered and starting arguing with the droid and Han rolled his eyes while the others laughed.

"Thank you," Anakin nodded his head in appreciation towards Bail.

"You all had better be going," Bail smiled and backed away as they boarded together.

Han joined Chewbacca in the cockpit as the rest got themselves situated in the lounge. The _Falcon_ took off and departed Alderaan's atmosphere within ten minutes and the familiar sound of the ship jumping into hyperspace was expected to be heard when it suddenly degenerated into a rumbling groan coming from the hyperdrive.

"Does this happen often?" Anakin asked the others.

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head. "All of the time."

Cursing the whole way, Han strode past with Chewbacca screaming up front. Luke, Leia, and Lando laughed, all while Artoo and Threepio argued about the hyperdrive.

Obi-Wan and Anakin watched the entire scene and then looked at each other, shrugging.

All in a day's work, they supposed.

_Fin

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_

**Well that's all, folks! I hope you've enjoyed the story! What do you think to the idea of a sequal? I've got one in the works... tell me what you think! Please review! What did you guys think of the story?**

**Okay, I'm already working on the sequel. For more info, see "NOTES" on my profile. I'm planning for this to be a trilogy!**

**ANNOUNCEMENT:**

**I have a few special people to recognize:**

**I love dance: This amazing reviewer has been with this story since the very first chapter. THANK YOU!!!!!  
**

**ilovenat1995: This wonderful reviewer came in a little bit into the story but has been adamantly reading and reviewing since then. THANK YOU!!!!!**

**ILDV: This spectacular reviewer is practically there in every big story of mine always reviewing and always asking for another quick update! Thank you so much, ILDV! GRAZIE!!**

**ItSMeAmbeR: This extraordinary reviewer has always been supportive and a great deal of fun! THANK YOU!!!**

**crazedchick: This remarkable reviewer leaves great reviews and was very supportive! THANK YOU!!!!**

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay:This fantastic reviewer has great, insightful, and over-all fun reviews for practically every chapter that is read! THANK YOU!!!!!  
**

**phantom-jedi1: This wondrous reviewer is a great deal of fun and leaves wonderful reviews! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!  
**

**jesi ki kage: This spectacular reviewer leaves reviews for practically ever chapter that is read! It's been great reading those reviews! THANK YOU!!!!!!  
**

**KungFu Jedi: This phenomenal reviewer has been leaving refreshingly long and exciting reviews! I want to thank you SO MUCH! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!**

**Let's have a great round of applause for these great reviewers! *audience appears out of nowhere and applauds***

**And here some other reviewers who have been there for me:**

**darksidesparkles, Voldy's pink teddy, Jedi Angel001, iloveluke1222, captain awesome pants, and oldman543 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**And thank you to ALL of my reviewers! I've had a ton of fun writing this story and I hope you guys have enjoyed it!!!!!!!!!! The sequal (if you guys want one) should be up hopefully soon!**

**...**

**Whew! You know I had to go to to find synonyms for "extraordinary" so I could have those different words for my great reviewers? HAha! *gives cyber brownie to special reviewers***

**Again, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!**

**--Girlbender875  
**


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